Sport
Joe Willock is the signing Newcastle should, but won’t, make
The first rule of fan-player relations is to never build an emotional attachment to a loan signing. For Newcastle United supporters and Joe Willock, that ship sailed under 90 minutes into his temporary spell on Tyneside.
Following his debut against Southampton — a 3-2 win in February in which he scored a crucial goal — Newcastle’s social media team posted a message for the supporters, who had obviously been unable to see events unfold live, from Willock. In it, the 21-year-old explained how excited he was to be playing at St James’ Park after his move from Arsenal until the end of the season. He signed off by beaming “Come on you Maggies!” down the camera.
It was a rather obscure reference to the club’s nickname, The Magpies, and one that had never been heard before. Football fans are often quite precious about things like names and the way which they are referred, but Willock’s grin was infectious and his charm was obvious. That, plus the fact he had helped the team to a first home win in just under two months, made his unique call to arms quite endearing.
On Friday night, after three points at Leicester City made Newcastle effectively safe from relegation, Joe Willock repeated the post-match ritual. He’d scored again — his fifth goal for Newcastle despite not starting any of the previous four games and missing the last one due to his ineligibility against Arsenal — this time in a 4-2 win. It was more comprehensive than it looked, for the most part.
Joe Willock, Paul Dummett and Callum Wilson, who grabbed a brace, had put Newcastle 4-0 up with 15 minutes remaining. No collapse seemed possible, but this was Newcastle United. Kelechi Iheanacho and Marc Albrighton halved the deficit inside the final ten minutes and Martin Dubravka was forced into a superb save to deny his former teammate Ayoze Perez in stoppage time.
It had been the most remarkable match of Steve Bruce’s reign so far, but not in the universally positive way it had first seemed. Once heart rates had settled, the joy soon returned, typified again by Willock.
Quality is and forever will be the most important factor in any footballer being taken by to the hearts of their fans. Joe Willock has that and brings an energy and intensity to the Newcastle midfield which had previously been missing and was desperately needed. He also adds a goal threat to a team which has become incredibly reliant on individual brilliance under Bruce — whether that be from Allan Saint-Maximin in his two years at the club or Callum Wilson this season.
Bruce undoubtedly deserves credit for helping bring Newcastle back from the abyss in recent weeks and he has been vindicated in his assertion that an upturn in fortunes would coincide with both Saint-Maximin and Wilson regaining fitness. But legitimate questions over why his team seemingly has no discernible tactical identity without them almost a decade on from him uttering the fact that he “isn’t really into tactics” are yet to be answered.
The popularity of Joe Willock is directly linked to the fact that he is making a crucial difference for Newcastle on the pitch. His goal tally since moving to the North East has ironically not been matched by one Arsenal player and the fact that he has taken everything in his stride and appears to understand and appreciate the club he currently plays for has gone a long way with supporters.
His signature “Come on you Maggies!” is now not only accepted but enjoyed, proving the affection the fanbase has for him. That sort of thing doesn’t tend to go unnoticed or get somebody off lightly unless they’ve really earned the right.
Attention has obviously turned to the future for both Joe Willock and Newcastle. There was no suggestion that he could extend his stay at the club when the deal was agreed; it fit the bill as a rather typical Ashley signing. The owner has never liked to bolt the horse, instead preferring to buy as little as he can and, should the situation require sanction loan deals in the January window.
It has been like that annually for four years, with the exception of 2019 when Miguel Almiron signed for a then-club-record fee. It is incredibly difficult to build something long-term, by design, as a result and thus makes a mockery of Ashley’s statement after taking further legal action against the Premier League over the failed Saudi Arabian-backed takeover last summer, which called out the “dark forces” stopping the club becoming a powerhouse.
If Ashley were intent on seeing Newcastle succeed, he would make Willock’s move permanent. In fact, he would have done that as soon as he scored against Southampton, such was the enormity of his initial impact. Bruce has made it clear that he would like to keep Willock, but cooled that possibility by suggesting his “big future” could make doing that more difficult.
It is understandable in one sense; Arsenal have been watching him out score every other player on their books and will likely either want to recall him or sell him. Willock’s first priority will absolutely be to make it at the club where he grew up but even if Arsenal decide to start a bidding war, it would be tough for Newcastle to win.
On the other hand, Newcastle fans will struggle to accept Bruce speaking in such defeatist terms because of a player’s potential. It is an admission that the club does not want to grow and compete, and those who have criticised him most over recent months have done so in part because of his complicity with the culture of mediocrity which has become the permanent mark of Ashley’s reign.
There is no function for building anything at Newcastle United; they only save and reset. Any momentum from the previous season is culled and the club’s blend of silence and slow negotiation allow a cloud of fear to engulf its fanbase.
They have been in this exact situation before; Loic Remy and Salomon Rondon, both very popular figures, were allowed to leave after impressive loan spells without a fight. Signing Joe Willock, or at the very least doing everything in their power to make it happen, is something that any forward-thinking and ambitious club would do if they were Newcastle. The overwhelming evidence suggests that won’t matter, and supporters will be set for another difficult, painful and, above all, frustrating goodbye.
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