Across all of the loan players who’ve left Arsenal at some stage this season, none have been as successful as Joe Willock. Albeit only a six month deal and moving to a club that were battling relegation, what he’s done at Newcastle has been spectacular.
Whichever way this is framed, Willock’s loan move has gone about as perfectly as it could have.
Scoring in the Magpies’ 4-3 loss to Manchester City on Friday, the 21-year-old became the youngest player to score in five consecutive Premier League appearances since none other than Jose Antonio Reyes in September 2004. A wonderful statistic in every way.
He’s now on six goals in 12 outings for Steve Bruce’s side, including crucial strikes against Liverpool, West Ham and Tottenham. In total that’s goals against five of the current top seven.
Arsenal set new Joe Willock transfer fee after stunning loan spell at Newcastle with five goals in five Premier League appearances
Allowed to leave solely on the premise of being granted regular minutes, what decision will come in the summer will have been unlikely to have been already taken in January.
It was a win-win for Arsenal, who would see their young midfielder play every week and either boost his value or unearth the talent from within to reintegrate into the squad. Even the staunchest believers in Willock couldn’t have foreseen this purple patch coming.
Initially bargaining for £20m, it comes as little surprise that the club have raised their asking price, with no negotiations even taking place until an offer of £25m-£30m is lodged, claims Fabrizio Romano. This could be due to the likelihood of re-signing Martin Odegaard being slim and the need for a creative midfielder to take that spot.
Or, this is a firm stance from Arsenal that they see Willock playing an important part of next season. In either way, him being under contract until 2023 puts Mikel Arteta’s side in a strong position.
Whether or not Bruce will be handed such an amount to splash on Willock won’t be known until the summer, even if he regularly expresses his desire to bring the Hale Ender back to St James’ Park.
This kind of form, however, will alert more than just relegation fodder. Arsenal will be banking on a Premier League bidding war if their asking price is to be met. Despite his struggles in north London, superb displays in an otherwise poor side will garner plenty of attention.
If £30m comes in, Arsenal simply can’t say no. They can’t. Willock has five in five now and any qualms over his ability have been answered, but what are the chances of him replicating this level of performance for the Gunners? A decision has to be made on whether this is sustainable or not.
As part of the remodeling process, sculpting around the core is the first step, as is removing old framework. That’s already started with David Luiz and a new contract inbound for Emile Smith Rowe. The question is whether Willock forms part of that internal bond or if he’s an expendable member who could be used for further strengthening.
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