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Was selling Joe Willock to Newcastle United good business? By Jack Lacey Just hours before falling to defeat at Brentford in the opening game of the new Premier League season, Arsenal confirmed Joe Willock had been sold to Newcastle United.   The transfer fee is in excess of £20million, which may soften the blow slightly for some fans, but many were sad to see a promising academy graduate sold on, at a time when the midfield is short on quality. On a streak of scoring in seven straight games at the end of last season, in a loan spell for Newcastle, many Arsenal fans thought it was possibility Willock would have a part to play in the new campaign. Instead, manager Mikel Arteta and the club hierarchy have decided that the 21-year-old was disposable.   Fans appeared divided on whether Willock should be sold or given another chance following his successful loan move in January.   Let’s take a look at whether the transfer is ‘good business’ for Arsenal.     Yes - Sav...

Would Arsenal selling Joe Willock be a mistake? By Jack Lacey-Hatton This summer marks a crossroads in the career of Joe Willock. The 21-year-old has shown his quality in the Premier League, after an incredibly successful loan spell at Newcastle during the 2020-21 season. An attacking midfielder, Willock has energy, pace, is technically capable and knows where the goal is. At the very least, he should be considered an interesting option for Arsenal going forward. But as Willock continues to be linked with other clubs, including Newcastle, Mikel Arteta and the management team could be tempted to cash in, which would help with the wider squad rebuilding that needs to take place. So – would selling Willock be a mistake for Arsenal? Let’s examine the evidence. No The main argument for selling Willock hangs on his transfer value. His remarkable form at Newcastle towards the end of last season will have inflated his price in the transfer market. At a time when shifting players for good...

  What we learnt from Arsenal's pre-season defeat to Premier League rivals Chelsea By Jack Lacey-Hatton Ahead of next weekend’s final pre-season game against Spurs, Arsenal’s other London rivals Chelsea visited the Emirates on Sunday, coming away with a 2-1 victory. The three clubs are competing in a mini pre-season round robin tournament known as ‘the Mind Series’. But the Gunners started with a defeat, after goals from Kai Havertz and Tammy Abraham. It was another disappointing result from a mixed pre-season, with the start of the new Premier League campaign now under two weeks away. However, games like this are not all about the result. Instead Mikel Arteta will want to be able to spot the errors and rectify them by the time the serious stuff gets underway. So what did we learn from the Chelsea game on Sunday?   Mikel Arteta is still short of top-class options in midfield The game exposed how Arsenal are still struggling for depth in the all-important centr...

Did Joe Willock play his way into Arsenal’s starting XI against Rangers? By Josh Graham Arsenal fans got a glimpse of Joe Willock back in the famous red shirt last week after his loan spell at Newcastle United. The 21-year-old was a second-half substitute in the 2-2 pre-season friendly draw against Rangers, but did he show enough to force his way into Mikel Arteta’s starting XI? Yes - Willock is ready to be an Arsenal regular You couldn’t help but be impressed with Willock’s impact at Steve Bruce’s Newcastle last term. The youngster went on a remarkable scoring spree by netting in seven consecutive Premier League games for the Magpies, only the second person to do so after Toon legend Alan Shearer. And he appears to have not lost any of his sparkling form, as fans and onlookers remarked on his impressive substitute appearance against Steven Gerrard’s men. Arsenal had to twice come from behind to avoid defeat and Willock did well in a slightly different role. The Englishman played in a ...

What has gone wrong in Arsenal’s pre-season fixtures?  By Jack Lacey-Hatton Despite the optimism of new signings and a relatively strong finish to last season, pre-season hasn’t quite gone to plan so far. Mikel Arteta will disappointed by two friendlies north of the border, a 2-2 draw with Scottish champions Rangers at the weekend, which followed on from a 2-1 defeat at Hibernian. Whilst you should never read too much into non-competitive fixtures, the performance levels in both games have left some fans concerned. Clearly there is much work to do before the new campaign gets underway properly, against. But what has gone wrong so far in Arsenal‘s pre-season?   Defending set-pieces It’s an obvious place to start, but an area that must be a cause of concern to the manager. From the four goals Arsenal have conceded across the two matches so far, three have come from opposition corners. That has to be a worry, particularly if Arteta’s men continue to concede goal...

Five Arsenal stars who could benefit from a loan move this summer By Oscar Maung-Haley With the transfer window merry-go-round in full swing, we look at the Arsenal players who could benefit from a temporary move away from the Emirates ahead of the new season. Eddie Nketiah At 22 years old, Eddie Nketiah is somehow at risk of becoming yesterday’s man. While 13 goals in 65 appearances for the Gunners is by no means disastrous, Nketiah has hardly hit the ground running since making his debut four years ago. After featuring in all but two of Arsenal’s opening 14 Premier League games last season, he only appeared five times in their remaining league fixtures. There can be no doubt that Nketiah still has potential – he did break Alan Shearer’s England U21s record with 16 goals in 17 appearances. Recently, the Athletic’s David Ornstein reported that Arsenal had offered Nketiah a new contract that would protect his value, which has not been accepted. With his contract set to expire next summe...

Five players that could feature more for Arsenal next season By Oscar Maung-Haley With transfer funds potentially scarce this summer, here are five current players that could help Arsenal improve upon their woeful 2020-21 campaign. Joe Willock With a Premier League Player of the Month award on his mantlepiece, Joe Willock is one name who achieve big things in an Arsenal shirt for the upcoming season. Willock was instrumental in helping Newcastle United to safety last season, scoring eight goals in just 14 appearances. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette were the only Gunners to score more Premier League goals than the 21-year-old this season. Offering a level of dynamism in the centre of the park, Willock would add a goalscoring threat to Arsenal’s midfield. But if he is to progress further, he must be afforded a consistent amount of game-time. Additionally, given that Willock played primarily in a three-man midfield, and Arsenal have tended to stick with a ...

What should Arsenal do with Joe Willock? The case for keeping him and selling him By Josh Graham It might have been a tame end to the season for most of Arsenal’s players, but not Joe Willock. On loan at Newcastle United, the Gunners midfielder bagged an incredible seven goals in seven Premier League games.  Newcastle, who were at one stage flirting very heavily with the drop, somehow finished 12th, only four spots behind Mikel Arteta’s men in eighth. And Willock’s red-hot form in front of goal grabbed the headlines and made many sit up and take notice of the promising 21-year-old, with some even suggesting he was ready for full international honours. Willock showed he has what it takes to stay If you equal a record held by Alan Shearer in the North East then it is fair to say your time at St James’ Park has been a huge success. Willock matched Shearer’s tally of seven Prem goals in as many games and by doing so also became the youngest player to ever achieve the feat. After moving...

The five best free agent midfielders in the transfer market Arsenal could target this summer By Jack Lacey With the futures of Joe Willock, Granit Xhaka, Martin Odegaard, Matteo Guendouzi and Dani Ceballos all up in the air, Arsenal will need to re-organise their midfield department swiftly this summer. At least one, possibly two, reinforcements will be needed, particularly after the Gunners missed out on Emiliano Buendia. Once an area of strength in the team, the midfield now lacks cohesion. A mismatch in desperate need of reinforcements. Although manager Mikel Arteta will still have some money to spend this summer, with multiple signings required the free agent market could be a key area to exploit. Here are five midfielders Arsenal could sign this summer without having to pay a transfer fee.     Ramires Admittedly, the last time Mikel Arteta signed a Brazilian, ex-Chelsea midfielder, it was a disaster. Most fans are unanimous that Willian has been a big disapp...