Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock has spoken out about the circumstances surrounding his departure from boyhood club Arsenal and how he has adapted to life in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Willock joined the Magpies in January 2021, on loan from Arsenal. In August 2021, the midfielder had joined the St James’ Park outfit permanently ahead of the 2021/22 season.
He is now one of the club’s key players and is a big part of their ascendancy in the Premier League in the last two years. His heart, however, is still with Arsenal, who he spent all his formative years with from 2004 to 2017, and the first four years of his senior career.
He revealed that he was conflicted while pondering over the decision to join Newcastle on a permanent transfer in 2021. He also spoke about how happy he is to have made that decision, but still has regrets from his time at Arsenal. Willock was speaking to British tabloid The Telegraph when he made the comments. “I remember that summer going back to Arsenal and I didn’t know what to do. I’d enjoyed the loan but to make it permanent was a big call.
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave Arsenal. I probably thought I was going to go back and things would be the same. I’d be working to break into the first team again and everything would be familiar and comfortable.”
The 23-year-old midfielder would credit former Magpies manager Steve Bruce with helping him make the decision to make the switch to St James’ Park permanent. “When the talk of a permanent move started I wasn’t sure, you know,” he said.
“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. 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.”
Willock also talked about the adaptation period and admitted that it was tough adapting at first. “At the time, it was overwhelming,” he said. “Leaving London, leaving Arsenal and coming into the unknown really, it was hard but it was the right time. I’d never been this far north before, I’d never visited Newcastle.
“I was also joining a team that was fighting relegation. It was all new to me. It was a tough experience, because I’d been so sheltered at Arsenal. But it was also an amazing one.”
