Newcastle United has a number of difficult transfer market options this summer, and the club must act responsibly if it is to comply with the Premier League’s FFP guidelines.
It was disclosed earlier this year that the Magpies had lost £73.4 million in the previous financial year, forcing the club to rely on outgoings before strengthening the squad.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Bruno Guimaraes has a £100 million release clause, which has sparked interest from Arsenal ahead of the summer as they look to strengthen under Mikel Arteta.
The Brazilian has been an excellent addition to the Saudi PIF after his £40 million move to St James’ Park from Lyon in the January transfer window of 2022.
If the team receives the reported compensation for his services, the 26-year-old would bring in a large sum of money and demonstrate exceptional commercial skills.
However, they would be losing one of their top players, with Howe having to prioritise unloading one player to help the Magpies escape any FFP penalties.
Joe Willock’s stats in 2023/24
After scoring eight goals in 14 appearances on loan during the 2020/21 season, Newcastle, then managed by Steve Bruce, opted to pay £25 million for Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock.
However, since his permanent move to Tyneside, the 24-year-old has failed to reproduce his remarkable loan success, scoring only six Premier League goals in his subsequent 73 appearances.
This season has easily been his weakest for the club, with only nine league appearances, five of which were starts, in an injury-plagued season.
He has been out for the majority of the 2023/24 Premier League season due to three separate injuries.
| Willock’s injury record 23/24 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Injury | Days missed | Games missed |
| Hamstring | 83 | 12 |
| Achilles | 91 | 18 |
| Achilles | 44 | 8 |
| Stats via Transfermarkt | ||
Willock has missed a combined 38 matches across all competitions, with hamstring and achilles issues restricting the former Arsenal man to limited minutes.
The midfielder also earns a huge weekly wage, a figure that is way too high given his recent lack of impact and injuries at St James’ Park.
Joe Willock’s wage at Newcastle
Despite the club’s recent financial issues, Willock makes a whopping £80k per week on Tyneside, according to Salary Sport – £40k more than teenager Lewis Hall, for example.
Since his permanent arrival to the club, the 24-year-old has earned £12.4 million in salary alone, with his large weekly earnings not reflecting his on-field performance in previous years.
When his wage is combined with his £25 million transfer fee, the former Arsenal player has cost the club £37.4 million in less than three seasons – a preposterous figure that the club needs to shift.
It’s a terrible period for the midfielder, especially given his current injury issues, but he hasn’t created anything noteworthy in the last several seasons when playing under Howe.
There’s no arguing that his outstanding loan performance under Bruce earned him a permanent move to St James’, but he’s struggled to duplicate those heroics in the years following.
Given the club’s need to generate finances this summer, Willock may find himself on the move again, but if the Magpies are to sell the talent they may have ave to be prepared to make a loss on the fee they paid for him less than three years ago.
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