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Ex-Gunner Watch

Is it wrong to still love Giroud

  • Yes he’s no longer a gooner

  • No he will always be a top man


Results are only viewable after voting.

Arai

Spam Hunter Bot
Moderator
An England international, Paul joined us in 1984 from Ipswich, scoring 17 goals in 70 games for the club during his three seasons in north London.
How I missed this news 😭😭😭.

 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel


"My mum's side of the family, they're all Tottenham...so nah, I don't regret it!" he said.

Your football club >>> any family member...great lad, is our Jack.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
Giroud's goodbye tweet to Chelsea, sneaking the Champions League in it, like he had any real part in winning it...shameless :lol:
 

avenellroad

John Radford’s son
Giroud's goodbye tweet to Chelsea, sneaking the Champions League in it, like he had any real part in winning it...shameless :lol:
Didn’t he score the only goal away against Atletico that got them through a tricky tie? I’m sure he more than feels like he’s contributed to them winning it
 

Macho

In search of Pure Profit 💸
Dusted 🔻

Country: England
Horrible news.

Funny enough I saw one clip not too long ago where he was playing football and got interviewed, he talked fluent English, Italian and Russian in the span of 2 mins. This news hits a bit different cause of what I saw, I really hope he beats that thing man.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
CGVhdhGW8AAXbZk


...honestly, the 2013-2015 team was something...yeah, it didn't win the league...but back to back FA Cups, and also qualifying for Champions League, they brought success back to the club...a lot of great characters there, plus great players/manager.
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel
Absolute legend...



...Parlour making Keown nearly **** himself on the last day in 2004, thinking he wasn't gonna get a medal...wonderful!
 

Riou

In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over

Country: Northern Ireland

Player:Gabriel


...thought Welbeck was gonna be top class at the start of this season, shame.
 

dashsnow17

Doesn’t Rate Any Of Our Attackers
Trusted ⭐
CGVhdhGW8AAXbZk


...honestly, the 2013-2015 team was something...yeah, it didn't win the league...but back to back FA Cups, and also qualifying for Champions League, they brought success back to the club...a lot of great characters there, plus great players/manager.

Everywhere I look I see players I'd rather have now than the current ones. Honestly, we were ONE player away, maybe two. Now we're like 8 players away or something ridiculous :lol:
 

Gooner416

Master of Stonks
Trusted ⭐

Country: Canada

Emmanuel Petit - "I'm gradually losing interest in Arsenal. They don't give me any emotion."
 

Macho

In search of Pure Profit 💸
Dusted 🔻

Country: England
Joe Willock’s future was never going to be settled swiftly this summer. And Steve Bruce knew it.

Uncertainty at parent club Arsenal, even more unknowns at suitors Newcastle United and the midfielder’s own indecision were just some of the contributing factors as to why this transfer dragged on for three months.

The reason the inactivity was finally broken, allowing Newcastle to conclude the second-most expensive signing in their history, was Mike Ashley. All other incoming business at St James’ Park was placed on hold while the Willock situation remained unresolved, with head coach Bruce awaiting Ashley’s authorisation.

Although it was Ashley who ultimately approved the £20 million-plus purchase, it was also partly down to Newcastle’s owner that Bruce did not land his “No 1 target” until just before their Premier League opener against West Ham United on Sunday. Had Newcastle presented an attractive offer to Arsenal earlier, the transfer may have been agreed sooner. But Willock’s late-season burst of form on loan on Tyneside in April and May — when he scored seven goals in his last seven appearances — had made his return more expensive and therefore less likely.

This being Newcastle, where progress on transfers is rarely anything but glacial, even the breakthrough last weekend of a price being reached did not immediately facilitate a move that club insiders were always confident would happen. Sources cautioned that Willock, who had seemingly expected alternative options to arise after that impressive loan spell, still needed convincing of the career-development path.

Thankfully, following an up-and-down few days of negotiations — during which disagreements arose, including over contract duration and clauses — and after further persuasion, Newcastle’s made the first addition to their squad this summer. A breakthrough was reached overnight on Wednesday and the midfielder travelled to the north east next day.

Willock has joined on a six-year deal and is expected to move into the top pay bracket of earners at Newcastle.

Speaking on Friday, Bruce said: “We’ve had to be patient. We explored the loan situation to begin with but we’ve got him permanently, which is great for us. There were times, I’ll be honest, where I didn’t think it would happen. But credit to Lee (Charnley, Newcastle’s managing director). It’s been worth the wait. My bosses always said if Joe became available, we’d sign him.”

This signing represents a positive move by Newcastle and it brings some much-needed momentum before what is set to be another challenging season.

It has also quelled the growing unease within the Newcastle squad that reinforcements, promised to the club’s top earners when they agreed their contract extensions, were not actually forthcoming.

Joe Willock at Newcastle scores on loan from Arsenal


Willock impressed on loan at Newcastle last season (Photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
This is also a personal success for Bruce, who has described Willock as “the type of player you’d love to build your team around”. Not only is the head coach enjoying some influence over transfer strategy — Willock was Bruce’s pick — but his tolerant approach to this pursuit also paid off. Eventually.

There was a recognition that, before arbitration over the takeover took place, no significant additions would be made. Yet, even once that hearing was postponed, negotiations with Arsenal barely accelerated. Despite privately growing agitated as the weeks wore on, Bruce did not call out Ashley. Instead, through daily communications with Charnley, he attempted to “manage up”, repeatedly pleading the case to re-sign Willock.

Publicly, Bruce kept reiterating that Newcastle were “very, very short” in midfield — not in terms of numbers, but desired profile — and that they needed to stay patient.

Admittedly, Arsenal’s equivocation did make finding a resolution difficult. For weeks, they did not make their own intentions clear, despite being in regular dialogue with Newcastle.

Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, even opted to give Willock another opportunity during pre-season but determined that he was not integral to his plans.

Ideally, the north London club would still have retained one of their most promising academy products. Few at their London Colney HQ doubt his talent, with one source declaring Willock had all the attributes to “go right to the very top”, but there were some reservations about his application. He was involved in a motoring accident last November and there were a few punctuality issues, too.

There was also a perception that, after his prolific goalscoring run in the spring, and with two years left on his deal, Willock was perhaps at the height of his value. An offer north of £20 million was always going to be considered.

Ultimately, Willock did not feature in the vision Arteta had for his Arsenal team’s progression. Willock had played as a midfielder, a No 10 and as a winger without earning a regular place and did not fit comfortably into a 4-2-3-1, even if he offered something few other Arsenal midfielders do — goals.

The club’s failure to offload Granit Xhaka, Hector Bellerin and Alexandre Lacazette also threatened to restrict further incoming business during what is viewed as a crucial window in Arteta’s rebuild. Albert Sambi Lokonga has already arrived, with further midfield reinforcements being targeted.

So, once Newcastle did finally “test Arsenal’s resolve”, as Bruce had promised to, they accepted a sizeable offer for someone who has made only 23 top-flight career starts — with 11 of those coming for Newcastle during his loan last season.

It took so long for Newcastle to mobilise because of their ongoing ownership uncertainty and financial constraints. The surplus that is usually reserved for transfers has been wiped out by COVID-19-enforced losses.

Regardless, Newcastle do not actually have a set “budget”, per se, and will find additional funds for the “right players” — typically those aged under 24, with sell-on potential and quality.

Willock — only 21, and a possible future England international — certainly meets those criteria and, eventually, funds were found.

Quite how is still unclear. Some sources claimed earlier this summer that Newcastle would need to borrow from either Ashley or the bank but there is no confirmation that either has happened.

willock-bruce


Willock with Steve Bruce during his loan spell last season (Photo: Newcastle United/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
It is understood Newcastle also tentatively looked at re-signing Adam Armstrong, their former academy graduate, from Blackburn Rovers. But, instead, they were grateful for the proceeds of their sell-on clause — around 40 per cent of the profit on his recent £15 million move to Southampton. That cash injection may have helped.

Wherever the money to pay Arsenal came from, it only arrived belatedly.

Borrowing Willock again was floated at one stage but, with just two years left on his deal, another loan made little sense to Arsenal. Other targets were even considered — Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher among them — but Bruce was always adamant Willock was the priority and he gambled that a compromise would be reached.

Although Willock was linked with Monaco of France’s Ligue 1 and Crystal Palace, no serious competition arrived, much to the surprise of his camp. Eventually, a fee of more than £20 million was agreed with Newcastle.

Even at that stage, Bruce’s decision to stake Newcastle’s entire window on Willock threatened to backfire.

The third party in this transaction, Willock himself, still required some careful handling. And more than Newcastle thought.

Some sources indicate the player’s preference, initially, was for another loan, given he still retained the dream of becoming an Arsenal regular. “Hopefully, there is more to continue in the future (at Newcastle),” he said in May. “I’m not going to promise anything.”

The midfielder was humbled by his reception on Tyneside, taking the “Maggies”, as he affectionately calls Newcastle fans, to heart. He enjoyed visiting the north east coast, is said to have “loved” his half-season at Newcastle and was receptive to a return, especially on loan.

But, once it became clear that a permanent move to Newcastle was the only realistic solution, some sources say his name was floated to other clubs.

The exact provisions in his Newcastle contract also took time to be agreed during talks between Charnley, Willock, and the player’s father, Charles. Some sources claimed the player wanted to become Newcastle’s top earner, on a weekly six-figure sum, but others dismiss that money was a key issue.

Others cited alternative hitches. The contract length and a possible buyout clause were both mentioned and led to prolonged deliberations.

It is understood that, since Ayoze Perez moved to Leicester City in the summer of 2019 for £30 million due to a provision in his deal, Newcastle have regularly inserted punitive buyout clauses into contracts. Miguel Almiron, for example, has one, which his agent describes as “high”.

Newcastle are thought to have wanted a similar mechanism included in Willock’s arrangement, but that is unlikely to have appealed to the player and it is not clear if the club were successful.

The club proposed a six-year contract but Willock is thought to have preferred a slightly shorter agreement. Eventually, Newcastle got their way on the duration but concessions were made to Willock on other elements.

Following those delicate discussions, Willock was confirmed as the second-most expensive acquisition in Newcastle’s history, behind Joelinton, who cost £40 million.

And Willock really feels like a statement signing. Both to the supporters — who have had little to get excited about — and also to Newcastle’s senior players. When the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Martin Dubravka signed long-term extensions, they were promised further “quality” additions would be made. As pre-season passed without any such arrivals, some players expressed frustration that the squad was actually weaker than when last season ended in May.


Many Newcastle players had retained contact with Willock over the summer, including Jacob Murphy, asking if he was coming back.

Saint-Maximin, especially, was desperate to be reunited with Willock. The pair have struck up a friendship and met on holiday in Mykonos, Greece. In May, Saint-Maximin described his partnership with Willock as being “like Harry Kane and Son Heung-min at Tottenham“. The Frenchman added: “We have to buy more players like Joe Willock, he can be really great for the team and me.”

It was a clear indication that, should Willock re-sign, Saint-Maximin would be more inclined to stay. It was a sentiment that, sources claim, was shared by other senior players.

Sources close to the dressing room describe the mood at the training ground as being “relieved and enthused” by Willock’s return, although there is a feeling that further reinforcements must follow him through the door.

Beyond Willock, Bruce is still keen to add a “No 6” and a left-sided centre-back, or a versatile player who can cover both those positions. Jens-Lys Cajuste, the 22-year-old Midtjylland holding player, and Marseille’s versatile defender/midfielder Boubacar Kamara, 21, are both highly rated by Newcastle’s scouting team.

Jens-Lys Cajuste, Newcastle


Cajuste, the Midtjylland and Sweden midfielder (Photo: Gonzalo Arroyo – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Recruitment sources have indicated throughout the summer that Newcastle can only afford one permanent deal and two loans in this window, although there have been whispers that Willock has been financed independently, meaning other cash arrivals may not be possible.

But, even if further faces do arrive before the August 31 deadline, none will be as well-received as Willock.

His adoration on Tyneside is all the more remarkable given that he was actually an underwhelming deadline-day addition at the end of this year’s winter window. Jesse Lingard, of Manchester United, had been Bruce’s first-choice loan signing but went on loan to West Ham instead three days earlier. Willock scored a debut goal in a 3-2 win over Southampton, then struggled throughout March, only to then embark on his magnificent late-season burst of goals.

In just 980 minutes, across 14 appearances and only those 11 starts, Willock scored eight times. But he brought far more to Newcastle than just goals.



Willock for Newcastle, 20-21
METRIC2020-21
Minutes played980
Goals per 900.73
Non-penalty goals per 900.59
Minutes per goals122.5
xG per 900.39
xG excluding pens per 900.32
Shots per 901.7
Shots on target per 901.2
Touches per 9042.6
Touches in opp box per 903.8
% of touches in opp box8.8%


Bruce had sought a midfielder with dynamism and athleticism, someone who could drive forward, press high and offer a threat. Although Willock did not necessarily fit into Arteta’s 4-2-3-1, he is ideally suited to being one of two “No 8s” in Newcastle’s 5-3-2. The system draws the best out of Willock, allowing him to roam forward and ghost into the box late while reducing his defensive responsibilities.

As a former England Under-21 international, he will hope joining Newcastle helps his senior international chances, too. The opportunity to continue working under Graeme Jones, the club’s assistant coach who was part of Gareth Southgate’s European Championship backroom staff this summer, may have been another factor in coaxing Willock back.

Yet caution and patience are necessary.

Some view the outlay on Willock as astute business, others cite the fact he only made 12 top-flight starts for Arsenal. He was also deemed surplus to requirements by a club who finished eighth last season, just four places above Newcastle, and there was no serious rival interest in him this summer.

Unreasonable expectations should not be placed upon him. Willock remains raw and will have spells of inconsistency at Newcastle. He already has, in fact, including being dropped from the starting XI throughout April. He will undoubtedly improve the side, but is highly unlikely to score at such a rate long term, nor is he required to.

Yet, as The Athletic columnist and Newcastle United royalty Alan Shearer has previously declared, Willock is “vital” to their team. Not only does he strengthen the first XI, he also generates a degree of much-needed positivity as the new season begins.

In May, when Newcastle fans sang for Willock “to stay”, they had hoped for a swift resolution.

Instead, while it’s been three months and a turbulent transfer saga, both they and Bruce have finally got their wish.

 
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