Joe-Willock-Player

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu have sent Joe Willock to Newcastle to enable him to play more first-team minutes and hope that the Magpies fulfil their side of the loan deal. Willock has made two Premier League starts this season but has become an increasingly peripheral player under Arteta following the first-team emergence of Emile Smith Rowe, and Martin Odegaard’s arrival on loan only compounds that scenario. At Newcastle, Willock joins a struggling team in the Premier League who rank 17th for shots, joint 15th for goals and 18th for chance creation, meaning he will be tasked at bringing some extra creativity to Steve Bruce’s side. As Arsenal and Newcastle confirmed the transfer at 11pm on deadline day, just as the window shut, Arteta and Edu made a point of emphasising what they want to see from Willock and Newcastle for the rest of 2020/21. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon8Cancel “Joe is a talented young player and an important member of our first-team squad,” Edu said. “This can be seen in the number of appearances he has made for us in recent seasons. "At this stage of his career, we have decided together with Joe, that it will benefit his development greatly to enjoy a loan period playing regular first-team football. “We thank our counterparts at Newcastle United for their collaboration and we wish Joe all the best with his loan move.” Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles Bruce has favoured a 4-4-2 for much of this season with Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden his preferred midfield partnership, although the latter has also been used in defence, with Jeff Hendrick and Sean and Matty Longstaff the other orthodox central options. Willock has played both as an attacking midfielder and in a deeper role for Arsenal under Arteta. He hasn't been signed in time to be eligible for Newcastle's Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Tuesday but could be in contention to play against Southampton on Saturday. Sign up to our Arsenal newsletter for the latest transfer news By signing up for our Arsenal newsletter, you will receive a once-daily email, focused around goings-on at Emirates Stadium. You won't miss a thing when it comes to the Gunners - you'll get all you need to know directly into your inbox. We'll also send out special newsletters with any big breaking news too. And with the January transfer window now open there's plenty of content to get your teeth into. How do you sign up? It's easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Arsenal section of football.london in fact - labelled 'Get the biggest daily stories by email' and click 'Subscribe'. And that's it, you're all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don't think you'll want to. For more details, click here. “Joe is a young player with great ability who is progressing very well and we are happy with his continued development,” Arteta said. “At this moment in his career, Joe needs to be playing regularly. At Newcastle United, he is going to a very good club with a top quality manager and staff. “We all wish Joe the very best at Newcastle until the end of the season.”