Why Willian Jose to Newcastle United would be a good move
According to claims from Spanish outlet Marca, as cited by the Chronicle Live, Real Sociedad striker Willian Jose has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to join Newcastle United last year.
As per the report, the 27-year-old Brazilian hitman was linked with a move to Tyneside when former manager Rafael Benitez was in charge but a deal failed to materialize, with Jose pulling the plug and opting to stay put at his current club in Spain.
Despite that, though, the La Liga star has expressed his desire to play in the Premier League one day, hailing the English top-flight as one of the most competitive leagues in the world. (h/t Chronicle Live)
Born in Porto Calvo, Brazil, Willian Jose caught the eye for Gremio, Santos and Sao Paulo in his homeland before moving to Spain with giants Real Madrid in January 2014.
However, he largely spent time with the Los Blancos’ reserve side and made only one first-team appearance before fruitful stints at Real Zaragoza and Las Palmas prompted Real Sociedad to come calling for his services in 2016.
The Brazilian racked up 14 goals in all competitions in his first season at Sociedad and he hasn’t looked back since then, going from strength to strength and carving out a big reputation for himself as a bonafide goal scorer in the La Liga.
Standing at 6ft.2 inches with a powerful frame, Jose has certainly impressed with his eye for key passes and smart hold-up play over the course of his tenure in Spain, whilst his figures of 49 goals and 13 assists in 117 appearances for Sociedad across all competitions are a clear testament to his obvious pedigree in front of goal.
The 27-year-old might not have the pace to sprint past defenders but he knows exactly how to combine his technical abilities with his link-up play and smart positioning to outsmart the opposition. Furthermore, the Brazilian is noted for his clever and instinctive finishing in front of goal.
To put things into perspective, Willian Jose is very much a proven goalscorer in the La Liga and Newcastle United going back in the market for his services in January would certainly make a lot of sense.
The Magpies splashed the cash to bring in the likes of Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin in the summer to cover for the departure of Ayoze Perez, Salomon Rondon and Joselu, whilst Andy Carroll also returned to his boyhood club following his release from West Ham.
However, Steve Bruce has hardly been able to reap any rewards from his investment in the summer window, with Newcastle languishing in the relegation zone after winning only two of their first nine Premier League games.
Having scored just 5 goals thus far, it is pretty apparent that they have badly missed any sort of creativity and firepower in their attack and bringing in a new striker in January could go a long way towards helping them get their campaign back on track.
With the Magpies having one of the worst average possession percentages in the Premier League, it is not difficult to see as to why the likes of Joelinton and Saint-Maximin have found themselves isolated up top.
Plus, Carroll has only looked like a shadow of his former devastating self, while Dwight Gayle is hardly a prolific striker in the top-flight.
Verdict
Keeping that in mind, someone like Willian Jose could certainly improve cohesion in the final third with his ability to hold on to the ball and bring others into the game with his slick link-up play.
Not only that, the Brazilain is a tried and tested material at the highest level and certainly has the physicality to cope with the gruelling nature of the Premier League.
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The 27-year-old might not be in the right age bracket for owner Mike Ashley, who favours bringing in developing players with a good resale value, but Newcastle would eventually need to adopt a more dynamic approach in the transfer market if they are to compete on equal terms with their Premier League rivals.
All in all, Jose apparently has the all-round game to make a big impact on the Premier League and Newcastle reigniting their interest in the La Liga star could transform them into a more competent attacking unit.