St James's Park, the home of Newcastle United. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)St James's Park, the home of Newcastle United. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
St James's Park, the home of Newcastle United. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Newcastle United transfer news: Magpies and West Ham monitor £8.5m-rated striker as Joe Willock drops hint over future

Joe Willock has featured in every game for Newcastle United since joining on loan from Arsenal on deadline day in January.

The box-to-box midfielder has slotted straight into Steve Bruce’s starting XI, a run that was kickstarted with a debut goal in the 3-2 win over Southampton.

In his six games so far, the 21-year-old has established himself as a strong performer and a key part of United’s Premier League survival bid.

So, how would Willock feel about another season on Tyneside?

“I love playing for Newcastle,” Willock told the club’s official Zoom Army feature.

“When I first came here I was a bit apprehensive about how I would take it because I’ve never left Arsenal.

“I’ve been at Arsenal since I was four and a half so coming to a new club, coming up north to Newcastle was a bit scary.

“But as I came here and I settled in and saw the love from the fans that I’ve been receiving and everyone is like a family here.

“Of course I’d love to continue playing here and I love Newcastle at this moment in time.”

Indeed, the idea of extending his stay at St James’s Park into the 2021/22 campaign was floated around the Daily Telegraph.

However, should the prospect of relegation to the Championship become a reality, it’d be hard to envisage the Gunners sanctioning such deal.

Meanwhile, as per The Athletic, Newcastle considered approaching Chris Wilder to succeed Rafa Benitez in 2019 before opting for Steve Bruce.

The 53-year-old had been promoted to the Premier League with Sheffield United in the same summer before guiding his boyhood club to a ninth-place finish.

Unfortunately, with the Blades rock bottom of the league and relegation all-but confirmed, Wilder left Bramall Lane by mutual consent on Saturday evening after five years in charge.

Here are the latest transfer headlines from Newcastle and their Premier League rivals - with the Magpies linked with a Gabonese striker: