It’s natural that any loan player who does well is going to be linked with a permanent move, especially if they weren’t a regular starter at their parent club.
Joe Willock had been involved with the first team at Arsenal but he rarely played in the Premier League, and he’s starting to show during his spell with Newcastle that he’s able to make a big impact against some good teams.
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It’s still not clear if Arsenal have a long term plan for him or if he would be a player who’s put up for sale this summer, but these comments from Mikel Arteta do hint at a future at the Emirates:
Arteta on Joe Willock: “It was a difficult decision to let him go because we really like the player. He has stepped in at big moments for them [Newcastle] and scored some crucial goals. It is great for his development.”
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) April 30, 2021
He talks about him being a player that they like and how they were reluctant to let him go so that does suggest that they still have a plan for him, while the fact that he talked about it being great for his development further suggests they just see this loan move as a step towards more first team football at Arsenal.
Time will tell if that’s true but they need reinforcements in midfield and Willock should have a chance to compete next season, so a transfer in the summer does look less likely after this.
Great little player Joe Willock, will only get better