The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has offered an interesting response to Mikel Arteta’s comments on Joe Willock’s future earlier today, explaining why there’s no need to panic for NUFC fans.
The Arsenal boss claimed the 21-year-old was in his plans for next season and set to hold talks with the club to plan out his future at The Emirates, but Edwards – a friend of Bruce’s who broke a promising piece on our hopes of signing the midfielder just yesterday – believes Arteta’s comments are ‘all part of the transfer game’.
He reckons the Spaniard is simply doing his best to bump up the club’s asking price and keep their options open – insisting he was never going to say ‘he’s available and this is how much he’ll cost’.
Edwards accepts that Willock himself will have a big say on what happens next, however it’s his understanding – based on his latest ‘exclusive’ for The Telegraph – that Arsenal are actually ‘open’ to selling the midfielder as they need to raise funds to pursue a permanent move for Martin Odegaard.
Here’s what he shared on Twitter, followed by Arteta’s comments earlier today:
“For sure because he’s got a contract and that’s going to be here. That’s for sure.
“He has grabbed that opportunity in a really positive and remarkable way and he will come back to us.”
“I am really happy that things have gone so well because of the potential that he has.
“We will have those conversations with him and plan the next years for him.”
“He got the responsibility and the test of going to Newcastle to help them get where they want to.
“I spoke with the coaching staff there and they are extremely happy because he was a key part of contributing to get the objectives that they had.
“That’s a real positive for him.”
If Willock does eventually arrive at St James’ Park this summer, I imagine it’ll be towards the end of the transfer window, if at all, with Arsenal likely to be pushing for a bidding war and securing any potential replacement before they agree to let him go.
Who know what happens next, however I do agree with Edwards on this one – even if Arteta’s comments hardly boost our hopes of keeping our on-loan goal-machine at the club!
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