Nike AerowSculpt. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)Nike AerowSculpt. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Nike AerowSculpt. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Newcastle United trabsfer rumours: Magpies reveal £10m midfielder price tag, Crystal Palace launch bid for Toon target

Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock has opened up on his decision to leave boyhood club Arsenal to rejoin the Magpies.

The 21-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at St. James’ Park, and admitted that the Toon Army had found a special place in his heart during that stint.

"It wasn’t straightforward at all,” Willock told BBC Radio Newcastle.

“It was a big step for me in my career to leave my boyhood club and move away from my comfort zone.

"The Newcastle fans, team and manager made it easier to make the decision.

"The love I have for Newcastle is immense, so it made the decision very easy for me towards the end.”

Willock continued: "I had the option to stay (at Arsenal) or look at other avenues to better my career and I choose the second option.

"Coming back to Newcastle was always at the top of my list.

“When I decided to leave Arsenal, there was only one place I was going to go and it was going to be Newcastle.”

He added: “For me, it was all about the feeling I got when I played in front of the fans and the feeling when I stepped out at St James’s Park.

"The love I have for the club never left me when I went back to Arsenal.

"It was always in the back of my mind and heart that something was missing and I feel like it was Newcastle United.”

We’ve gathered the best of today’s Premier League transfer speculation below…