Think Joe Willock when he takes on his boyhood team this weekend. A product of Arsenal’s academy as an infant, the midfielder was merely a minor player limited to Europa League appearances and appearances once he graduated to the senior ranks.
The Gunners were still two years away from launching a serious title push but Willock – who scored eight Premier League goals during a five-month loan spell at Newcastle United – remained surplus to requirements. There were suggestions such a successful spell on Tyneside would work against the Magpies and Arsenal would reject any advances to make the deal permanent.
However, on the eve of the top-flight season, Willock was packing in a £25million deal. The player, by his own admission, was hurt by his hometown team.
“We had a lot of conversations on the phone that summer,” Willock told The Telegraph earlier this year. “I wasn’t valued at Arsenal, that became clear. When I had a meeting with them, it was obvious that they wanted me to go. Yes, it hurt.
“I probably would have drifted for another year if I’d stayed. I’d been there since I was four-and-a-half years old. I’d given my life to Arsenal. In that meeting, it felt like my time. I didn’t feel valued anymore and that was it – I was going to sign for Newcastle after that.”
Fast forward to today and Mikel Arteta has been sent a telling reminder of one of the few mistakes he has made as Arsenal manager. While the Gunners limped out of the Carabao Cup with rivals West Ham United, Willock starred in a 3-0 win at Old Trafford – Newcastle’s second triumph there in just 51 years.
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His stunning solo strike to seal victory – and condemn Manchester United manager Erik ten Haag’s misery – highlighted a boy who has become a man since leaving North London for the North East. Driving forward, beating a man and scoring a vicious strike into the bottom corner, aren’t these the attributes Kai Havertz was supposed to bring to Arsenal?
The German bore the brunt of the post-match criticism as the Gunners crashed out of the cup. The hefty £65m price tag is no fault of his own, but he has done little to silence doubters since joining from Chelsea.
Questions over Havertz’s arrival only intensified after another dismal display against the Hammers. A “broken” player with “zero confidence”, according to former Premier League winner Chris Sutton, the unpleasant truth is that nobody – not even Arteta – knows his best position.
The great irony is how Willock has made the left-back ‘eight’ role his own at Old Trafford, a position he held down last season as Newcastle launched an assault on the Champions League places. Arteta has teased a number of options in that role since the summer, but few could argue that Willock is better than all of them.
Imagine the energy, strength and guile of a Willock, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard midfielder?
Arteta’s loss was Eddie Howe’s gain, with the Toon boss carving out every trace of talent from the Walthamstow native. An England call-up can’t be far away and, if the day comes, Gareth Southgate will only highlight the mistake Arsenal have made.
Recent success has trumped the blunder, but Wednesday night is all the evidence you need that Willock – not Havertz – should be the one to wear the famous red and white.
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