Newcastle United now considering replacing Joe Willock with player who seriously impressed Alan Shearer

Add as preferred source on Google

The end of the season could mean the journey is over for several members of the Newcastle United squad. 

While much of the focus will naturally be on the players Newcastle United sign this summer, there will be some exits to consider. 

Indeed, Sean Longstaff is expected to leave Newcastle this summer, while the likes of Callum Wilson are out of contract. 

Joe Willock is also in an interesting position. Crystal Palace are interested in signing Willock, who has struggled for game time under Eddie Howe when the rest of the midfielders are fit. 

Now, it seems the club could look to replace him with James McAtee. 

• Every player linked with Newcastle in summer transfer window: Latest news and prices on Eddie Howe’s targets

Newcastle United consider James McAtee move  

According to The Chronicle, Newcastle have been alerted to the midfielder’s situation at Manchester City. 

Newcastle have been linked with McAtee before and the report adds that the 22-year-old was offered to them on loan in January 2024.  

Club legend Alan Shearer was impressed by McAtee after he scored a hat-trick against Salford in the FA Cup but he has found first-team chances limited. 

Pep Guardiola wants to keep McAtee but he’s approaching the final year of his contract, and any sale would count as ‘pure profit’ on City’s balance sheet as he was trained in their academy.  

Joe Willock stats compared to James McAtee

Some of McAtee’s statistics look favourable when compared to Willock’s, although obviously City tend to dominate games much more than Newcastle.

That needs to be taken into account, as does the fact that Howe boasts a strong midfield already. As Willock has found out this season, it is hard for any player to break into the starting lineup when all of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton are fit.  

Still, it’s worth looking at how Willock and McAtee compare.

Willock has started much more in the Premier League this season but the City player beats him in some key attacking metrics, as is listed above. 

It seems Newcastle could do a lot worse than replacing Willock with McAtee.