According to David Ornstein, Arsenal may be open to selling Joe Willock this summer for a fee between £20m and £25m, and we can’t help but feel that they’d be making a massive mistake in letting him go so cheaply.
Arsenal haven’t always had the best track record when it comes to selling players. They famously let Serge Gnabry go before he reached his potential at the Emirates, while selling Emi Martinez to Aston Villa last summer is a decision that surely still haunts Edu to this day.
However, selling Willock for a cut-price fee could be an even bigger mistake than letting Martinez go.
Willock has been unbelievable since joining Newcastle, he’s scored eight goals in less than six months and he’s netted seven in his last seven games.
Any 21-year-old capable of putting up those kinds of numbers is worth more than £25m in today’s market, especially when you consider that Arsenal are being asked to spend £40m on Emi Buendia who only scored one goal in his last full season in the Premier League and is older than Willock.
In an age of inflated prices for young, English talents, selling a 21-year-old midfielder who has scored eight goals in 14 league appearances this term for just £25m makes absolutely no sense.
Not only that, but Willock plays in the exact position Arsenal need to bolster in the summer.
The Gunners’ central midfield spot has been a problem position all season, and bringing Willock back into the fold would seemingly make the world of sense at this point.
If Willock is sold after an incredible six months with Newcastle, Arsenal may forever regret this decision.
It’s not as though Willock is a player who has been given chance after chance in north London before hitting a purple patch out on loan, he’s a young up-and-comer who has, for the first time, been allowed to spread his wings in the Premier League, but rather than giving him a chance, Arsenal may now cash in.
Letting Willock go, especially for just £25m, could turn out to be an even bigger mistake than selling Martinez to Villa last summer.
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