Newcastle United formally confirmed the appointment of Ross Wilson as their new sporting director earlier this week after activating the release clause in his contract against Nottingham Forest.
The former Rangers chief transfer officer will now work with the Magpies to plan for the upcoming January transfer window and beyond.
As outlined in Keith Downey’s post above, Wilson will be responsible for recruitment at all levels of the club, meaning some players could be under threat if they do not improve their performances.
One Newcastle player who may need to step up his performance to avoid being moved by the new sporting director is winger Harvey Barnes.
Why Harvey Barnes needs to improve his performance at Newcastle
The Magpies paid £38m to sign the English forward from Leicester City in the summer of 2023, but the 27-year-old winger has yet to provide consistent performances to justify his price tag.
Barnes has made 75 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle, scoring 15 goals and providing 19 assists, with a transfer market value of £30 million. This is £8m less than the club paid him two years ago.
His performance in the Premier League this season has been particularly disappointing. According to Sofascore, the English player has failed to score in seven games in the top flight, creating two ‘big chances’ and providing an assist in the clean sheet.
This is why the former Leicester star needs to step up in the coming weeks. Wilson may look to move him on in January, noting his declining value and underwhelming performance in front of goal.
Another Newcastle player who believes he is already on borrowed time under the new sporting director is Joe Willock, who has fared worse than Barnes this season.
Why Joe Willock is on loan at Newcastle
The English central midfielder could be out on loan in the January transfer window as a spell at Eddie Howe’s St James’ Park does not appear to be the manager’s first-line option.
According to Sofascore, Willock has not made a substitute appearance in six games in all competitions this season and has not made a substitute appearance in the last four games in a row.
This suggests the former Arsenal starlet is not doing well enough to earn regular minutes in midfield, with Joelinton, Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Luis Miley playing ahead of him, and Jacob Ramsey also due to return from injury.
25/26 Premier League | harvey burns | Joe Willock |
|---|---|---|
Appearance | 7 | 2 |
begins | 3 | 1 |
Unused replacement | 0x | 4 times |
the goal | 0 | 0 |
A big opportunity has arisen | 2 | 0 |
Key paths per game | 0.6 | 0.0 |
assist | 0 | 0 |
Statistics by Sofascore | ||
As you can see from the table above, Willock has contributed less to the team than Barnes in the Premier League this season, with no goals, no key passes, no “big chances” created, and no assists in his two games in the same division.
The experienced flop, who was described as “disappointing” by journalist Chris Waugh last year, ended the 2024/25 season with no goals and two assists in 31 appearances for the Magpies.
This shows that Willock has not been able to offer much in terms of quality in the central midfield position for over a year now, which is why his time at the club may be coming to an end.
If the 26-year-old no-good remains on the sidelines rather than being used as a substitute, Wilson could end up deciding to take charge of 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.
