Arsenal: Joe Willock proves some lessons learned, but next step vital

Arsenal locked Joe Willock down to a long-term deal, which shows a crucial lesson has been learned, but the next step is the most important.

Arsenal have wasted no time ensuring that they don’t let two highly-rated Willocks slip away in the span of a year. It was back in July, when Chris Willock rode his contract to the end, that he made a free move to Benfica.

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The long-time Arsenal lad had been with the club for over a decade, but a lack of first team opportunities saw him pushing for more, and he is finding that at the Portuguese outfit.

Which left us with Joe Willock, his brother. A defensive midfielder due to a good dose of strength and size, Joe Willock has been a mainstay with the Arsenal rotational squad, helping see them through to the round of 32 in the Europa League, as well as progression in the League Cup.

It’s been a promising start to his senior career, as he’s just 18 years old and clearly the club is seeing something they like in him, or else they wouldn’t have been so keen to lock him down for the long haul.

This shows a lesson learned, a big one, from his brother. You can’t wait until these players click and become sure-fire studs to lock them down. Otherwise they will do what Chris Willock did, knowing his own value, and slipping away for a better opportunity where he would get more opportunities.

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Joe Willock has to know that there is a void in the midfield that needs filling. Many expect Wenger to be active in the transfer market for the likes of Leon Goretzka, but for now, the prospects are there for a youngster to take over.

Which is part of the all-important next step. Now that we’ve secured his future in a long-term deal (which is most likely five years, but complete details have not been released), we have to keep that progression in an upward trajectory.

Too often we see these players make a splash and then disappear into the mist, never able to convert that potential into bonafide first-team viability. Think Daniel Crowley, or even Gedion Zelalem. Both are still young, but they seem to be going backwards.

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Willock’s new deal is just the first step. The club has shown faith in him, now it’s time for him to turn around and give it back to them. The opportunity is there for a major impact in the midfield, he just has to be the one to make it.