Arsenal: Yes, Joe Willock promotion as good as a signing

Arsenal may not be making many signings, but they just made a couple moves, including promoting Joe Willock to the first-team. This works like a transfer.

Arsenal are taking their time getting their signings started, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t getting anything done (even if that’s exactly what it seems like). In fact, they recently promoted both Joe Willock and Eddie Nketiah to the first team.

This works as good as a transfer, particularly for Joe Willock, because the opening is there, and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere.

With Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi all proving to be less than adequate and the magnificent Aaron Ramsey moving on, they need fresh feet in the attacking midfield, fresh ideas, but they haven’t tried too hard in the transfer market yet.

Names like Joan Jordan have flashed into the picture and faded away to other sides, and it makes me think that the Gunners were looking for clever signings, but weren’t expecting to turn anything up.

Leaving them with internal solution such as Emile Smith Rowe and the newly promoted Joe Willock.

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Willock has always kind of hung underneath the top prospects, but he always manages to look eager and, more importantly, ready whenever he is called upon. Perhaps even moreso than any other Arsenal youngster.

Last year, he made plenty of impactful appearances for the first team, especially in the Europa League and EFL and FA Cup competitions where he managed to score six goals in just six appearances. Granted, some of that was bolstered by subpar opposition, but as I always say, you can only make the most of what’s given to you, and Joe Willock consistently has.

He paired that with six goals and two assists with the U23s.

He’s just 19 years old now and the next logical step for him is exactly what he’s just been given—a bigger chance in the first team. He’s proven he belongs there, and now we’re at the point where we need to see how far he can take that chance, and how much he can develop. Because as it stands, the way is wide open for him if he can take his chances.

We kind of suspected that youth would play a bigger role this summer, but to have it solidified that Joe Willock is officially promoted feels like a transfer. There’s just as much to look forward to as a new signing, if not more.