TRANSFER SWAP: PALACE EYES JOE WILLOCK, NEWCASTLE PLOTS KEES SMIT
Crystal Palace are considering a January bid for Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock, whose role has diminished at St James' Park.
Crystal Palace is thinking about making a move for Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock in January.
Willock's spot in the Newcastle lineup has slipped in the past year. He hasn't been able to play as well as he did two years ago, when he helped the team reach the Champions League under Eddie Howe.
Injuries bothered the 26-year-old last season, and he didn't make a big impact when he had the chance to play. After Jacob Ramsey came from Aston Villa this summer, Willock seemed to be Newcastle's sixth choice for midfield.
This makes Palace think they might be able to sign the former England player and bring him back to London in January. Newcastle paid about £21m for Willock and would want to get that money back. This would improve their financial situation, since he’s been at the club for a while.
Howe might he have different plans? The Newcastle manager doesn't like to lose players mid-season and surprisingly started Willock in the 2-1 Champions League loss to Marseille on Tuesday night.
Newcastle has tough choices to make. They want to sign AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit in January and believe the 19-year-old is interested.
Smit, who many big European clubs are watching, will only move to Newcastle if he gets regular playing time and the club can afford the deal in January.
This might convince Howe to let Willock go if they get a good offer in January.
Willock played his best in months, displaying the energy and ball skills that made him popular.
He helped set up Harvey Barnes’ early goal and almost had an assist when he ran up the field and crossed to Anthony Gordon. Gordon missed the chance, but it showed how good Willock can be.
Now, there might be a reason to give him a run in the team, as Ramsey is having trouble adjusting to Newcastle after his summer move.
When Willock is at his best, Newcastle is better. He brings different things to the midfield, has an eye for goal, and is fast with the ball.
But for the past year and a half, he’s struggled with his fitness and performance. He seems to be in better shape this season, and his game against Marseille showed what he can do.
Willock could keep his place in the team against Everton after his performance in Europe, and Howe won’t want to lose him.
But Newcastle has to make tough choices as they get better and improve the squad. If they want to sign Smit in January, they might need to sell Willock to pay for the move and make room in the squad.
Newcastle has six central midfield players competing for three spots, and Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, and Joelinton are still the first choices, despite their inconsistency this season.
If Smit is going to St. James’ Park, the deal probably has to happen in January. If Newcastle waits until the summer, there will likely be a lot of competition for him.
This is maybe why Willock would consider a move now.
Signed by Steve Bruce in 2021 after a good loan from Arsenal, the player’s contract ends in 2027, and he probably won’t sign another if he’s not playing often.
Newcastle knows that now might be the time to sell him to get a good price.
Newcastle needs to improve its squad. The club wants to lower the average age of the squad, as some of Howe’s key players are getting close to or past 30.
Willock has been good for Newcastle and might still have a role in the next few months. But he’s entering his prime and doesn’t want to be a backup player, only coming off the bench occasionally.
UCL TEAM NEWS: EDDIE HOWE PLAYS DOWN INJURY PANIC AFTER KEY STARS MISS TRAINING
Football news: Newcastle vs Qarabag. Get the report on Botman’s fitness, youth debuts, and potential last-16 opponents.
Eddie Howe shared the latest on Yoane Wissa and Sven Botman after both players got back to training ahead of Newcastle’s Champions League clash with Qarabag.
The Magpies are back at St James’ Park for an 8 pm kick-off, looking to book their spot in the last 16. They made things easy for themselves with that huge 6-1 win in Baku last week; really, it’d take a total collapse for them not to go through now. No team in Champions League history has ever come back from five goals down after the first leg, so Newcastle look set, even with Howe planning a few changes.
Whoever wins will meet either Barcelona or Chelsea in the next round. We’ll find out the draw on Friday.
Malick Thiaw is suspended, and several others, Bruno Guimarães, Lewis Miley, Tino Livramento, Fabian Schär, and Emil Krafth, are still out injured. Wissa and Botman have each sat out the last three games, dealing with minor knocks, but both were back in training on Monday.
After Newcastle’s 2-1 loss at Manchester City, Howe explained, “We thought Botman would be ready. He just didn’t feel completely right, so we decided not to risk it. Hopefully he’s back on Tuesday, but we’re not totally sure yet.”
About Wissa, Howe added, “I don’t think he’ll be out for long; maybe he even makes the Qarabag game. He picked up a nasty knock in training, but I think he’ll be fine.”
On Monday afternoon, Howe gave another update: “We hope they’ll both be involved. We’ll see how they feel in the morning, but fingers crossed.”
Meanwhile, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali weren’t seen out on the grass during training, but Howe quickly shot down any panic: “We just kept a few players inside today. No problems. Four or five guys just being careful.”
With such a big lead, this match is the perfect chance for Howe to rotate his squad. Alex Murphy, Leo Shahar, Sean Neave, and John Ruddy are the only fit players who haven’t started for Newcastle yet. William Osula has made some Champions League appearances off the bench but hasn’t started either.
Is it time for some fresh faces? Howe played it cool when asked, “Maybe. We’ll look at the squad and pick a strong team that wants to win. That’s the main thing.”
He went on, “We want to keep a good rhythm, and it’s a tricky balance resting players, making sure everyone’s fresh, but also making sure people don’t lose that match sharpness or the good feeling we’ve got going. I’ll try to make the right calls with all that in mind.”
REF CONTROVERSY: EDDIE HOWE FUMES OVER "UNFAIR" DECISIONS IN 2-1 LOSS TO CITY
Man City wins again! Discover why Eddie Howe is frustrated with the officials and how Nico O'Reilly's brace sank Newcastle.
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Manchester City edged out Newcastle United 2-1 at the Etihad on Saturday night, and honestly, Eddie Howe looked frustrated after the final whistle. He felt his team deserved a bit more.
City took control in the first half, with Nico O’Reilly grabbing both their goals, one on each side of Lewis Hall’s deflected strike for Newcastle. After that, City just managed the game, saw out the second half, and picked up their 17th home win in a row against the Magpies in the Premier League.
This loss snapped Newcastle’s streak of three away wins, and they’re still sitting 10th in the table with 11 matches to go.
After the match, Howe was quick to praise his players’ effort. “The lads gave everything physically today,” he said. “It’s been a really tough run of fixtures for us, not just this week. Every time we step on the pitch, I want them to give absolutely everything to win. I can’t fault that today everyone left it all out there. I thought we played with a clear plan and a good style. We executed most of it well, apart from a couple of moments. The goals we conceded – those were down to individual mistakes; we just didn’t defend well enough.”
He admitted chasing a game at the Etihad is never easy. “It’s tough to do here, but I’m pleased with the effort,” he said.
But the frustration wasn’t just about the result. Newcastle had a goal chalked off for offside. Dan Burn got shoved by Ruben Dias into an offside position, but the flag still went up. And Burn took a nasty challenge from Bernardo Silva, who was already on a yellow, but somehow avoided another booking.
“I only saw the offside still frame, so I missed the push,” Howe said. “I don’t think we got the right end of the decisions today. I’m not someone who likes to blame officials all the time, but I do think things didn’t go our way again.”
Asked if he’d look for answers about the disallowed goal, Howe was honest: “I don’t know the rule there. I haven’t seen the push; if that’s what happened, I’ll look into it.”
In the end, City took the points and closed the gap on Arsenal to just two. Newcastle are left wondering what might have been.
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