New city, new life. That is what is happening to Joe Willock (21), Arsenal youth squad that this winter he left on loan to Newcastle looking for minutes and opportunities. The 21-year-old midfielder is one of the Gunner academy players with the greatest potential in recent years. In fact, it came to debut with the first team in September 2017 at the age of 18.
Last year joined the squad with both Unai Emery and Arteta arriving to play more than 1800 minutes between all the competitions, but this year instead of taking the leap that many expected, he lost prominence for Arteta. Just played 235 minutes in Premier League with the Gunners before being loaned to Newcastle. The arrival of reinforcements in the center of the field such as Thomas or Odegaard and the explosion of new homegrown players such as Smith Rowe, added to the Arsenal need to get rid of some salary, they did the transfer the best option mutually.
At Newcastle, Willock was a starter from the first game, where he also ended up scoring, usually forming midfield with Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden. But his arrival coincided with Steve Bruce's team's worst moment of the season, just one win in his first nine games. A situation that made the magpies flirting with relegation places and the coach trying out new systems to Willock's detriment.
But curiously, it was when he lost his position in the starting eleven that the Arsenal youth squad has given better performance, becoming in recent weeks in the savior of Newcastle. In his first match as a substitute he put the tying goal against Tottenham and after running out of shorts in the win against Burnley, he was again crucial coming off the bench. scoring the winning goal against West Ham and the from the draw against Liverpool. Willock has thus become the First Premier League player to score in three straight games as a substitute since he did so in 2013 Adam Le Fondre with Reading.
An expert from the 'Cesarini Zone'
The Arsenal youth squad has not only become a golden substitute, but a true talisman in the last minutes of matches, in the so-called Cesarini Zone. Against Spurs his goal came in 85 ', at London Stadium in 82' and against Liverpool in 95 ', being the hero in a crazy ending where minutes before they had annulled a goal from Callum Wilson. Since the 2006-2007 season, Liverpool have not conceded a goal so late at AnfieldCuriously that year the reds also fit at 94:58.
Three goals in less than 46 minutes that serve to vindicate a player of whom it is already said that Newcastle wants to keep it in their possession. The figures used in England are around 25 million, a price that many Arsenal fans are beginning to consider insufficient watching the performance of the midfielder. Newcastle for their part will fight to strengthen themselves with a player who at 21 has already allowed them to breathe and look into the distance to the relegation places. The ball will also be in Willock's court, which will have to see if you want to fight for a place in the club of your life or enjoy a leading role at Newcastle. At the moment he still has five games left to continue claiming.