Worse Than Joelinton: Newcastle Made Big Mistake Not Selling Joe Willock

· GiveMeSport

Newcastle made a major mistake not selling one dud in the summer, after he turned in a horror performance against Coventry.

Newcastle United were thrashed on the road once again on Monday night as they fell to a 4-1 defeat against Coventry City at the CBS Arena.

The Magpies started poorly and conceded a penalty in the opening six minutes, allowing Jack Rudoni to score his first goal of the season. Newcastle pushed hard for an equaliser but missed a host of big chances before completely collapsing in the second half.

Sidiki Cherif made it 2-0 just four minutes into the second half, and while Sven Botman scored a rocket with 20 minutes to go, the Sky Blues turned up the heat and goals from Ellis Simms and Stephen Mfuni completed the rout.

Newcastle's performance was flat, and while they created chances, they were carved open far too easily, and the defeat has left the team in 11th place in the Premier League table, with a -3 goal difference after six games.

Fans have been unhappy with the level of performance the team has offered in recent weeks, and many have questioned one decision in particular following this latest defeat.

Newcastle started with Lewis Miley at right-back in the absence of Amar Dedic and Tino Livramento, while Joe Willock partnered Nico Gonzalez in central midfield. Joelinton came off the bench and was poor, picking up a needless yellow card and leaving many questioning why he wasn't sold in the summer when he clearly wanted to leave.

But the decision to go with Willock saw some question marks raised, with Seun Steur and Aladji Bamba both available on the bench, and his performance on the night did very little to ease those concerns.

The former Arsenal man missed a glorious chance just before he was substituted, and he played as if he didn't have a care in the world (in a bad way), considering the competition for places. The Chronicle Live handed him a 3/10 rating , and Sofascore registered him as having 0/5 shots on target, he won just 2/5 ground duels, and lost every aerial duel.

Considering the sales the club did make, and the fact his contract is due to expire at the end of the current campaign, it's clear now that the club made a big mistake not selling him when they had the chance.

During the summer transfer window, Willock had big interest from Turkish side Besiktas, and a deal was reportedly close on a number of occasions.

However, after Jaissle arrived, he put a stop to that move and decided to keep the 27-year-old at St James' Park. He has since doubled down on that decision too, speaking earlier this week about the midfielder's future.

> “I hear that every day [he could leave]. I think he’s [Adali] talking about it also every day, but I think it’s our player.

> “We’re really happy with him, and I think you see that also on the pitch. He’s a top player, he can deliver unbelievable performances, and I see even more potential with him, so we are happy that he’s here.

> “Yeah, you can definitely imagine that [we want him to renew], how highly I’m talking about him, so there’s no worry from our side.”

But it's clear that if Newcastle are serious about moving forward as a team, then this whole situation needs a rethink. He simply isn't good enough to help the team move to the next level, and his awful performance against Coventry proved it.

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