Newcastle United pair in line for new deals as Matthias Jaissle request granted
Newcastle United decided to keep Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock at the club.
Newcastle United resisted interest in Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock to keep the pair at the club.
The Magpies rejected a bid as high as £15million for Murphy from Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest, while Willock was prepared to sign for Turkish outfit Besiktas if given the go-ahead by the club.
However, it was new boss Matthias Jaissle’s determination to keep both players that saw them stay put.
The Gazette has launched a WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
Murphy, who is currently the club’s longest-serving player after joining from Norwich City in 2017, is seen as an experienced figure within the squad, something Jaissle highly values in what is now a young dressing room.
Willock, meanwhile, has featured regularly during the opening weeks of the season, coming off the bench to score in the Premier League opening day draw at home to Liverpool before starting back-to-back matches against West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham Hotspur.
Matthias Jaissle explains decision to keep Jacob Murphy & Joe Willock
Murphy and Willock are out of contract next summer but could now be rewarded with one-year extensions.
“I think now we have a well-balanced squad,” Jaissle said when asked about his decision to keep the duo. “The lads were doing good in the pre-season, they showed their quality, and I think they still have potential to even do better.
“Therefore we made the decision that this is the final squad.”
Jaissle added: “It's not only these two players. In a long transfer window, there are many approaches for different players, and then it's always important that you have conversations with the players, that you're honest, transparent and clear about what you expect from them, but also what they expect from the club and from the gaffer.
“We had these conversations, so everyone knows exactly where they are, which stage they are at the moment, which status they have in the squad, and then it was the decision that they stay in.”
Newcastle United let Nick Woltemade go
Jaissle did sanction one exit as Nick Woltemade joined Juventus on a season-long loan deal. It comes just a year after the Magpies paid a club-record £64million to sign the German from Stuttgart.
“Yeah, a tough decision, definitely. I really appreciate this guy as a player, for his qualities, and he showed that also now in the previous weeks, since I'm here, a really special player with huge potential at a young age.
“But he decided now to make a next step, as it was also not easy here to get the minutes he usually deserves, and also to get for his quality.
“Hopefully the fit, how he's playing football, is coming now really close to what Juve is searching for, that he can shine there. I just can cross my fingers, because he deserves to be playing there, that he's performing well, and we’ll keep a close eye on him.”