Newcastle United officially confirmed the appointment of Ross Wilson as their new sporting director earlier this week after they triggered his release clause at Nottingham Forest.
The former Rangers transfer supremo will now get to work with the Magpies to shape the plans for the upcoming January transfer window and beyond.
As Keith Downie’s post above outlines, Wilson will be responsible for recruitment across all levels of the club, which means that some players may be under threat if they do not improve their performances.
One Newcastle player who may need to step up his performances to avoid being moved on by the new sporting director is winger Harvey Barnes.
Why Harvey Barnes needs to improve his Newcastle performances
The Magpies paid £38m to sign the English forward from Leicester City in the summer of 2023, and the 27-year-old winger has failed to deliver consistent performances to live up to that price tag.
Barnes has scored 15 goals and provided 19 assists in 75 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle, which has left his Transfermarkt value at £30m. That is £8m less than the club paid for him two years ago.
His form in the Premier League this season has been particularly disappointing. Per Sofascore, the Englishman has scored no goals, created two ‘big chances’, and assisted no goals in seven appearances in the top-flight.
This is why the former Leicester star needs to step up in the coming weeks, because Wilson may look at his declining value and underwhelming output in front of goal and look to move him on in January.
Another Newcastle player who already looks on borrowed time under the new sporting director is Joe Willock, who has been even worse than Barnes this season.
Why Joe Willock is on borrowed time at Newcastle
The English central midfielder’s time at St. James’ Park under Eddie Howe may be up in the January transfer window, as he does not appear to be a frontline option for the manager.
Willock has been an unused substitute on six occasions in all competitions this season, per Sofascore, and has been an unused substitute in the last four matches in a row.
This suggests that the former Arsenal starlet has not done enough to get regular minutes in the middle of the park, as Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, and Lewis Miley have all played ahead of him, with Jacob Ramsey also due to return from injury.
|
25/26 Premier League |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
7 |
2 |
|
Starts |
3 |
1 |
|
Unused substitute |
0x |
4x |
|
Goals |
0 |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
2 |
0 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.6 |
0.0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
0 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, Willock has offered less than Barnes has to the team in the Premier League this season, with zero goals, key passes, ‘big chances’ created, or assists in his two outings in the division.
The experienced flop, who was described as “disappointing” by journalist Chris Waugh last year, also ended the 2024/25 campaign with a return of no goals and two assists in 31 appearances for the Magpies.
This shows that Willock has fallen short of offering much in the way of quality from a central midfield position for more than a year, now, which is why his time at the club might be coming to an end.
If the 26-year-old dud continues to find himself on the sidelines, being an unused substitute, Wilson may have a decision to take on his future when the January transfer window opens, as a move away from Tyneside could be the best option for all parties at that point.
