Paul Robinson says Newcastle United will struggle to sign Joe Willock even if Arsenal agrees to sell him.
The 21-year-old midfielder joined United on loan for the rest of the season and was in stunning form for the Magpies.
He had not seen enough playing time at Arsenal in the first half of the season, but a move to the North East proved a masterstroke as he delivered some of his best performances.
He scored in seven consecutive games and ended the season with 8 goals in 14 league games.
His performance for the Magpies has forced them to become interested in his signature.
Steve Bruce hasn’t been shy about his interest in signing the midfielder, but Arsenal has plans to keep him in their squad for next season.
The Gunners have seen enough to suggest that he can deliver for them. Robinson reckons that even if Arsenal agrees to sell him, he would join another team instead of the Magpies.
When asked by Football Insider for his assessment of Willock’s future, Robinson said:
“Willock been absolutely brilliant in a team who, let’s not forget, have been struggling.
“There has been a lot of pressure on the Newcastle team because a lot of fans want Steve Bruce to be sacked. It’s not easy for a player when that’s going on during a relegation battle. Willock has handled that pressure though.
“Even if Arsenal are to let him go this summer I think they would struggle to sign him.
“His performance over the past few weeks have been fantastic and they have put him in the shop window. I think Premier League clubs will be queuing up to sign him.”
No sale
He scores goals. He’s better than CEBALLOS, ODEGAAD and ELNENY
He should stay, Arteta is only interested in players from Spain
Fans want Buendia and Bissoma
there will be new talent coming through from the Academy
if he stays who shall he replace?
Somebody has to be dropped
some players have to leave
Nobody likes to sit on the bench for lengthy periods
Spanish players? You mean Bellerin, he’s not first choice? Who else, certainly not Ceballos, he’s gone?
There’s only two viable options for Willock, either he assumes a significant enough of a role at the club that it justifies not cashing in on him or we find a suitable transfer partner and we move on from him this summer, hopefully with a buy-back clause…what we can’t do is fail to make a definitive decision one way or the other, then loan him out again and potential watch him score for fun in a rival’s kit or have him struggle to regain his recent form and his market value plummets…based on our recent issue with all things asset management related, I’m leaning towards the latter scenario, which would once again leave us SOL