Newcastle snub Wilshere, sign another foreign midfielder

Newcastle manager Arthur Papas has said that while former Arsenal player Jack Wilshere is not in the Jets' plans, another international signing excites him.

It has been a tumultuous few months for Arthur Papas. Since joining the Jets as their new manager in June of this year, the club have started a new era which has seen eleven new signings and seventeen player departures.

Preseason, youth and academy play has also been disrupted by COVID-19 restrictions.

In an interview with NewcastleLiveRadio, the Newcastle Jets coach went into the direction of the club, the vast amount of foreign talent onboard, Jack Wilshere and a new signing on the horizon.

He started the interview by covering his first few months in Newcastle. Speaking to Tracy Mac he said:

"Well it's been exciting. There hasn't been a day that hasn't gotten some sort of challenge or something new happening.

"There has been a lot of change. Change that has sometimes been positive, negative but its change that I have felt we needed to make and I am excited about what is happening."

Coach Papas went describing his new signings and the current shape of the squad:

"There has been merit to every single person that has come through the door or remained as well. It is more about how that ingredient is sorta gonna come together and look like as a team.

"That is fundamentally why you make changes to develop a team. It is the one thing I am really looking forward to.

"To see the team how it functions with so many different qualities and different characteristics that have come into the group, both domestic and foreign as well.

One foreigner that Mrs. Mac did question Papas about was Jack Wilshere, recently linked with the Jets.

"There was some contact about a month ago from their side about whether there was interest.

"And look this is a fantastic player first of all. I know the last few years aren't exactly what they were when he was at is peak but it is a fantastic player so obviously you listen to anything that comes across of that nature.

"But it's not the direction we're going in, to be honest."

However, Papas did go on to state:

"We've got another player that will come in, a midfielder that we are close to finalizing at the moment, a foreign midfielder.

"I am excited about that player just as much as I am excited about any player.

So far the Newcastle Jets have Matthew Jurman, Riley Warland, Dylan Murnane, Jordan Elsey, Kosta Grozos, Savvas Siatravanis, Olivier Boumal, Beka Mikeltadze, Dane Ingham, Mohamed Al-Taay, Jordan O'Doherty, Samuel Silvera, Daniel Penha, Jason Hoffman, Ben Kantarovski, Kosta Patratos, Angus Turgate, Lucas Mauragis, Valentino Yuel, Archie Goodwin and Blake Archbold committed for the upcoming season.

There is no news about who the foreign player that the Jets are targeting could be. However as Papas stated in the interview:

"Any player that walks through the door I am excited about because I have a big say about why they are coming here and what their ambition is. We've assembled a really interesting, exciting squad and working with them is a pleasure at the moment."