According to The Chronicle, Arsenal are yet to bite on the idea of a swap deal involving Joe Willock and Newcastle United’s Freddie Woodman.
Willock enjoyed a stunning loan deal with Newcastle after arriving in January, smashing eight goals in 14 games for the Magpies.
Willock is now back at Arsenal, but Newcastle are keen to bring him back again next season either on loan or permanently – and Woodman has been tipped for Arsenal.
Why Woodman to Arsenal makes sense
The Gunners have seen Mat Ryan’s loan spell come to an end, whilst Bernd Leno’s future is unclear and Runar Runarsson isn’t good enough.
Arsenal appear to fancy signing a homegrown goalkeeper, and Woodman fits the bill. His father Andy was even Arsenal’s head of goalkeeping until a recent exit.
Woodman has just spent two seasons on loan at Swansea City, where he was branded ‘brilliant’ by boss Steve Cooper, but returns to Newcastle with Martin Dubravka, Karl Darlow and Mark Gillespie all at the club.
Moving to Arsenal where he would immediately be ahead of Runarsson would make sense, and it would save splashing a huge fee on Aaron Ramsdale.
Why a Woodman swap makes sense for Newcastle
Newcastle would love to bring Willock back, but meeting Arsenal’s asking price is proving difficult for the Magpies right now.
Throwing Woodman – who is unlikely to be their first-choice goalkeeper next season – into a deal could help bring the price down and make Willock attainable.
Newcastle would surely prefer not to sell Woodman, but if offloading him can help bring Willock back to St James’ Park, it may be worth doing.
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