Arsenal: Joe Willock ready to follow up Reiss Nelson opportunity

Arsenal may be missing out on a chance to get Joe Willock some minutes, but the time must still be found before the end of the year.

Arsenal’s midfield has a pretty steady rotation going on, with Granit Xhaka being a regular lay-over, serving in both Premier League and Europa League fixtures. In that set-up, Mohamed Elneny has become a key player in the wake of his new contract.

Tasked with maintaining order in a pretty meaningless Premier League, the Egyptian has done a fantastic job at what we have come to love him for – establishing a base of consistency that he never dips below and sometimes ventures above.

Elneny was shown a bizarre straight red against Southampton that has since been overturned following a successful appeal, yet prior to this success, I was wrapping my mind around the potential entry of Joe Willock into the first team. The young Englishman absolutely needs to find some first team time before the summer, just in case he can be a bit readier than perhaps we think.

Not to mention the fact that this midfield is rather thin and, should their be an absence to Elneny or Xhaka, the options are very limited.

I’ve talked about the two options here – either you ask Aaron Ramsey or Jack Wilshere to double their involvement, play in both competitions, and put themselves at tremendous injury risk; or you hand the reigns to Willock as you’ve done Reiss Nelson.

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The thing with Willock, or at least the thing I have gleaned from his few appearances this year, is that he is very similar to Elneny. He isn’t going to change the flow of a game or be the man of the match.

But what he does do is maintain a presence in the center of the pitch. He is intelligent in possession, cool-headed, and he doesn’t try to do too much. Maybe he can’t match the insatiable effort as Elneny, but he also isn’t going to make stupid mistakes, which is something we have come to treasure about Elneny.

These youngsters need to be blooded before the start of next season and despite this potential opportunity passing Willock by, time still needs to be found to get him in there, like Nelson.

We don’t need him to conquer the world, we just need him to maintain his head and be smart with his passing.

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Surely that isn’t too much to ask in a competition that has lost all meaning.

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