Joe Willock left Arsenal to join Newcastle United in 2021 after a successful loan period with the Magpies, making his move permanent. Arsenal faces a challenging match against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park today. A victory would see the Gunners move ahead of their North London rivals, Tottenham, in the Premier League standings, with Tottenham set to face Chelsea on Monday.
In this match, Mikel Arteta will face a familiar opponent in Joe Willock, who left Arsenal to join Newcastle in 2021. Willock, like Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, is a product of Arsenal’s Hale End academy but found it difficult to secure a regular spot in the starting lineup.
Willock initially joined Newcastle on loan and later made a permanent move to St. James’ Park after impressing during his time on Tyneside. Under the guidance of Eddie Howe, the 24-year-old has continued to develop, yet he still pays homage to his Arsenal roots by emulating Thierry Henry’s iconic corner flag celebration whenever he scores.
Willock repeated this celebration when he scored in a 3-0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Saka has also used the same celebration for Arsenal, leading to friendly banter between the two players about who is copying whom. Willock humorously mentioned, “My Thierry one is my favorite so far. Bukayo Saka is a friend of mine, and he messaged me and told me I copied his celebration! I told him it wasn’t his, it was Thierry’s,” in the past.
In this game, the 24-year-old has another opportunity to prove himself as a midfield star against his former club, Arsenal. Arsenal received £20 million for Willock’s transfer to Newcastle, and with Kai Havertz experiencing difficulties in the team, Arteta may reflect on whether keeping the former Gunners player would have been a wiser choice, especially considering the high cost of signing the German international.