Joe Willock has opened up on leaving Arsenal for Newcastle on a permanent transfer and admits it hurts him that the Gunners wanted him to go.
The midfielder was groomed at the Emirates and was highly regarded at the club, so he expected to return and get a chance under Mikel Arteta after a successful loan spell at Newcastle United.
However, when he returned to the club in the summer, he realised Arsenal were eager to offload him and he subsequently made the move to Newcastle permanent.
He is now enjoying life under Eddie Howe and might play in the Champions League next season.
However, he wishes his time at Arsenal ended differently and recalls via The Telegraph:
“When the talk of a permanent move started, I wasn’t sure, you know.
“The fans probably made that decision easier but also Steve Bruce. He really fought to bring me here, he was great for me.
“We had loads of conversations on the phone that summer. I wasn’t valued at Arsenal, that became clear.
“When I had a meeting with them, it was obvious they wanted me to go. Yeah, it hurt.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Most fans expected Willock to get game time when he returned from his initial loan spell at Newcastle, but it is clear that Mikel Arteta did not value him enough to keep the Englishman.
The Gunners are now making progress without him and the midfielder must move on from the hurt he felt.
Video – Mikel Arteta talks about the reasons Arsenal have dropped from the top, and addresses the question if we “bottled it”
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Happy for Joe Willock and I think it was a win win situation for both parties.
Steve Bruce love and admire the kid and he wasn’t trusted by the gaffer maybe that was the best peice of business since Iowbi though I was very surprised by the funds we got from Everton.
The kid should have been better valued at Arsenal, he always had the ability, he just needed time. Never given a chance in the league after shining in the EL.
@Reggie
RealTalk…seems our Academy players are used to make money in order to buy other players. 🤔
Show me which top team that has loads of Academy players playing for them especially in the epl. Not every Academy plAyer will make it at arsenal. If he stayed, will he play? Who will he displace in our current team? That decision by Arsenal was best for him and the club. We have been burned by these So called home grown before. Remember Wilshire, Ramsey, Walcott, Chamberlain etc were all supposed to be the core of the team.
Arteta has a way of dealing with players:
1. You must go his way, attitude-wise
2. You must submit to his system of play.
3. You must continue to work hard and exercise patience.
Joe Willock must have violated one of these. The fans loved him at arsenal and wanted him to stay but Arteta is very autocratic.
I’m fine with that, provided it continues to work. Success in sports in general comes with a lot of discipline (both self and group). Then, there is sacrifice.You can’t have it both ways.