Newcastle United journalist Liam Kennedy has provided an update on a potential return for former Toon loanee Jetro Willems.
The 27-year-old first signed for the club in the summer of 2019 on a season-long loan from Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, during which time he scored two goals and chipped in with two assists for Steve Bruce’s men, but that was cut short when he sustained a cruciate injury in a game against Chelsea.
Newcastle have reportedly shown an interest in bringing him back into the fold previously, and speaking on Loaded Mag, Kennedy confirmed that the club are still looking at bringing back the Dutchman, who is now a free agent. He also noted that it might require someone else to move first, namely Matt Ritchie – who is reportedly seeking a move away from the club:
“There is somebody waiting in the wings ready; Jetro Willems probably will sign for the club if Matt Ritchie leaves.
“You might get £5m back for Matt Ritchie which will boost the pot and you can bring Jetro Willems in for a very low fee, obviously he’s a free transfer, but there are fees associated with signing free transfers.”
TIF Thoughts on Liam Kennedy’s comments about Jetro Willems…
Would you like to see Newcastle sign Jetro Willems permanently?
Yes, he's a good player
No, he's not that good
This move certainly would offer Willems the chance at unfinished business in a way, given how his first spell up on Tyneside ended. He showed glimpses of what he could do, and was actually their 4th-highest performing player on WhoScored for that season despite his absence in the second half of the campaign.
It does represent a very low-risk option for Newcastle given what little they would have to pay to bring him on board, so the Toon don’t really have anything to lose in this situation. Plus at the age of 27, if he performs well and attracts interest from elsewhere, then he still has the potential for some decent resale value.
So on multiple levels, this is a move that the club should look to make, they just need to get Ritchie out the way first.
In other news: ‘Gutted’, ‘He’ll be missed’ – Many NUFC fans despondent as claims on ‘great servant’ surface