Apart from the fact that Newcastle is a really good town, I'm sure that getting paid 20-30k a week and playing Premier League football in front of 50 000 home fans would be attractive to any player from any part of England.
I also agree. If Williamson had played 150 games in La Liga or Bundesliga for a team that had just been relegated, we'd be ******* ourselves silly over him.
Worth remembering that B'muff sold Grabban to a league rival (for less than Dunk's supposed release clause figure) and that the money would have helped them buy a better player - Callum Wilson - whilst probably still keeping to their FFP limits for last season.