Joe was absolutely gutted when he had to leave Arsenal back in 2021.
The midfielder headed to Newcastle United off the back of a successful loan spell at St James’ Park in 2020/21, but, at the time, he wasn’t too sure about the move.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Willock has shared how he was told he was no longer needed at Arsenal and how his move to Newcastle came about.
Indeed, the midfielder says that he really wasn’t sure about heading to Tyneside, while he claims that it was actually painful when he was told by Arsenal that he was no longer needed at the Emirates, stating that he initially didn’t want to leave the Gunners but he was forced to go.
Painful
Willock shared how he felt about his £25m move to Newcastle.
“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,” Willock said.
“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.
“I would probably have drifted for another year had I stayed. I’d been there since I was four-and-a-half years old. I’d given my life to Arsenal. At that meeting it just felt like my time was up. I didn’t feel valued anymore and that was it, I was going to sign for Newcastle after that.”
Regret
Arsenal forced Willock out of the club back in 2021, but you can bet your bottom dollar that they’re now regretting that decision.
Willock would have been brilliant in this Arsenal team as competition for Granit Xhaka. He’s now showing his class at Newcastle, and he looks like just the player Arsenal need.
If Willock was coming through at one of the smaller clubs right now, Arsenal would certainly be looking at signing him, but instead, they sold him to a club that is now proving to be one of their biggest rivals
The Gunners certainly dropped the ball on this one.
