Arsenal: Joe Willock subject of £25m transfer agreement

Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock’s immediate playing future remains as uncertain as ever. Or does it? The 21-year-old was magnificent while loaned to Steve Bruce and his Newcastle side for the second half of the Premier League season, and now appears to be on his way to the Magpies in a permanent move.

Joe Willock played his own ‘game of two halves’ in the previous campaign. Mikel Arteta barely used him domestically, only playing two matches of significant minutes: 57 minutes against Leeds in a 0-0 draw followed by a 90-minute outing against Wolves.

No goals or assists in the league for the Hale Ender, however; much like Nicolas Pepe for large spells, his best form came in the Europa League. In Arsenal’s six group stage games, Willock often put forth Man of the Match performances with his three goals and three assists making him a certain starter.

While his efforts in Europe would be something to be proud of, it was in the Premier League where he wanted to find more. As much as anything, it was more about getting consistent minutes and full games under his belt, instead of the late substitute appearances that had become a hallmark of his career thus far.

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Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock subject of £25m transfer agreement as Newcastle eye summer move that will help fund Arteta’s squad rebuild

In January Willock sealed his temporary move to Tyneside, where Steve Bruce has been a vocal admirer since. Willock smashing Premier League records in the process will have helped. By scoring in seven consecutive matches, Willock became the youngest player in the competition’s history to do so (21 years and 272 days).

Always having an eye for goal, that was on show in the north east. What would please Arteta, and Bruce, the most is the quality of opposition Willock performed well and scored against: Liverpool, Manchester City, Leicester City, Tottenham, and West Ham all felt his wrath.

Rarely do Arsenal loan players make such an impression. Just in case there was any doubting that the Toon Army felt otherwise, St James’ Park was audibly unified on the final day of the season as chants of ‘we want you to stay’ rang around the terraces. That speaks volumes of his sensational six-month stint.

Now he’s back with a decent loan spell under his belt in which he not only scored goals (8), but also got some serious minutes in the most competitive league in the world – he completed the full 90 minutes seven times out of his 14 games.

With apparent agreements in place, is it now coming to an end?

Continued…