Beşiktaş are not hiding their love for Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock. Not even a tiny bit. Now their president has insisted that a deal is on the cards in the January transfer window.
The Turkish side were keen on Willock throughout the summer. At one stage it appeared that a deal was close. Reports in Türkiye were certainly confidence on that front.
Ultimately, it never happened and the 27-year-old remained at St James Park, where he’s been a regular under Mathias Jaissle since.
Summer plan revisited
That’s not stopped Besiktas from dreaming, however.
Just five days ago Sport Witness reported how a plan was being formed to sign Willock in the January window. Now Beşiktaş President Serdal Adalı has outright announced the plans.
“Joe Willock was the player the coach wanted but whom we missed out on,” Sozcu report him saying.
“His contract expires at the end of the season. He can sign during the mid-season break. They had asked for £20m. We can sign him in January—and I will sign him.”
Transfer efforts detailed
| Stat | 2025/26 | 2026/27 so far |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 39 | 7 |
| Minutes played | 1,647 | 441 |
| Goals | 1 | 3 |
| Assists | 3 | 0 |
| Goal contributions | 4 | 3 |
He even went as far as to explain how close a deal had come in the summer. And it seems things were very advanced indeed.
“There were players we couldn’t acquire in the summer. Our coach wanted Willock,” he added.
“From day one, it was ‘Willock, Willock…’ No one knows this, but I brought Willock’s entire extended family to Istanbul.
“They picked out a house, and they held video calls with coach Italiano and coach Önder at least ten times. Furthermore, we visited the player in person twice.”
It seems the plan, for him and the club, is to focus on the squad’s needs in the winter window. And the Newcastle man fills one of those needs.
“Our coach prioritised the midfield. We did not sign a left-sided centre-back after he indicated that the current squad would be sufficient. We will reassess our needs during the mid-season transfer window and do what is necessary,” he concluded.
