According to Fabrizio Romano, as cited by Football.London, Arsenal have an asking price for Joe Willock. It appears the on-loan Newcastle United midfielder has attracted widespread attention across England following his performances in the second half of the campaign. As a result, the Gunners have set a price tag of around £25m to £30m, for the services of the academy product this summer.
Joe Willock’s Sucess At Newcastle United
Joe Willock was one of Arsenal’s finest talents when he broke out a few years ago. He was labelled as the new Jack Wilshere because of his sublime skill in possession as well as his technical prowess and overall dynamism.
Unfortunately, Willock never really managed to make an impact in the Arsenal first-team, often struggling with consistency or lack of game-time. As a result, he was shipped out to Newcastle United in January in a short-term loan deal.
The Englishman has since enjoyed immense success at St. James’ Park. Playing in a more natural position with complete freedom to move forward and influence the game. Willock has indeed flourished under Steve Bruce, having netted six goals in just 12 matches.
Five of his goals have come in his last five league matches, during which the midfielder has helped Newcastle earn valuable wins over Leicester City and West Ham while drawing against Liverpool.
Should Arsenal’s Oflload Willock?
Joe Willock might seem like an interesting option for Arsenal next season, especially following his successful loan spell at Newcastle United. However, he might be one of those players who is just better suited elsewhere than Arsenal, and it has been quite evident during his time with the Gunners’ first team.
Most of Willock’s best performances came against relatively weaker opponents, particularly in the UEFA Europa League. While the Englishman is finally starting to find his feet in the Premier League, he may once again struggle in settling into Mikel Arteta’s tactical philosophy which puts extra emphasis on positional discipline.
As mentioned earlier, Willock is not the most effective player when he has to adhere to a certain role, especially given the midfielder’s tendency to make runs into the box at times. Therefore, using his successful loan sell at Newcastle United to increase his price tag could indeed be a smart option for the Gunners.
The reported £25m-£30m could serve as a major financial boost for the north London giants, allowing them to fund a move for Arteta’s desired targets in this upcoming summer transfer window.
