Arsenal insider Charles Watts has given his views on Joe Willock following his latest performance for Newcastle United.
The 21-year-old, valued at £14.4m on Transfermarkt, scored his fourth goal out on loan for Steve Bruce’s men this weekend against Liverpool, a last-minute strike that could end up playing a big part in how both ends of the table shape up at the end of the season.
And given his run of form, it’s no surprise to see that Newcastle United are reportedly looking at signing him this coming summer, and speaking on the latest edition of his show, Watts felt that with the way he’s playing right now, his value is only going to keep going up and this might be the ideal time to cash in on him, whether that bid comes from Newcastle United or someone else:
“Personally, I think this is a great opportunity to sell Joe Willock. I’m not convinced Joe Willock is going to make a huge impact at Arsenal. I’m not sure he’s quite good enough to make it at that level that Arsenal want to be at. When you look at them at the moment they’re a mid-table club, so perhaps he will.
“But you kind of feel that Arsenal obviously want to go higher than that and get themselves back into the Champions League mix. I’m not sure Joe Willock has the quality to do that. So for me, I think his value is never going to be higher than it is now because of the successful loan spell he’s having.
“So if Arsenal can get around £20-25m for Joe Willock in the summer, I think that’s something they should be taking, personally.”
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TIF Thoughts on Charles Watts’ comments on Joe Willock’s future at Arsenal…
Watts is right when it comes to cashing in on Willock at this time in his career. If he isn’t going to have a future at the club, then holding onto him when he is worth that much just comes across as nonsensical, especially given what the club’s finances are looking like right now.
And if the club are to embark on a great rebuild under Arteta, then they may need to sell off some of their young assets to make it happen. And for someone on the fringes of the first team, £20-25m is a pretty decent return for an academy product who you haven’t paid that much for over the years.
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