Newcastle fans tear into 'dreadful' 27-year-old after what he did vs Bournemouth
Newcastle United remained unbeaten in the 2026-27 campaign as they claimed a late 2-2 draw against Bournemouth at St James’ Park on Saturday.
A late Jacob Ramsey goal rescued the Magpies and Matthias Jaissle from a late defeat in the Premier League.
Nevertheless, numerous players did not meet the standards set in recent weeks, including Joe Willock, who was hauled off the pitch just after the hour mark.
The attacking midfielder had cemented himself in the starting XI after a solid start to the campaign.
However, against Bournemouth, he failed to threaten the backline on a consistent basis.
Now, Newcastle fans are questioning why Willock was simply not sold in the summer transfer window.
Joe Willock disappoints vs Bournemouth
Willock was heavily linked with a move to Besiktas in the summer transfer window, with the club reportedly submitting bids for the 27-year-old.
However, Newcastle held their ground, with the midfielder now expected to play a part in the 2026-27 campaign.
This is despite Willock being criticised often by the fanbase, especially for his performances last season.
Now, supporters have once again turned on the midfielder, with many running to X to question why he was not sold before the transfer window closed, as they deemed him simply not good enough to be starting for the club.
How bad was Willock vs Bournemouth?
Willock no doubt had a poor game against Bournemouth.
According to Fotmob on 5 September, he completed 89 per cent of his passes, did not create a single chance, had an xA of 0.01, had one shot which was off target, missed one big chance and had two touches in the opposition’s box.
This was no doubt a disappointing display from someone who had been in fine form coming into the match.
His lack of a creative threat no doubt helped cause Newcastle’s intial downfall against Bournemouth as they failed to make consistent chances.
However, it remains to be seen if Jaissle will now drop Willock from the starting XI for this display ahead of their tie against Millwall in the Carabao Cup next week.
Nevertheless, the midfielder will have to vastly improve next time he is on the pitch, or he will risk dropping out of the first team altogether.