Mikel Arteta will be 'crying into his cereal' after Joe Willock's emergence as an integral part of top-four chasing Newcastle United, while Arsenal's title chase falls away.
Willock has found form of late and left many Newcastle fans stunned with his first-time, outside-of-the-boot assist for Alexander Isak's first goal against Tottenham last weekend. It marks a continuous rise for Willock who is fast becoming one of the first names of Eddie Howe's team sheet.
After another man-of-the-match performance for Newcastle, Andrew Musgrove and Aaron Stokes discussed Willock on The Everything is Black and White Podcast, including the feeling that Arteta may be feeling a tinge of regret having agreed to sell the midfielder to the Magpies back in 2021.
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"He'll be crying into his cereal because the title seems to be slipping away, " Musgrove said, "and if one man could have maybe helped them secure the title it's probably Joe Willock in this form, isn't it?
"We're probably now seeing the type of form that is a better reflection of the type of player he is. What happened when he was on loan, scoring all those goals, was a fluke and was never going to happen again.
"But he's now performing on a consistent basis. He's good in the tackle, picking the pass, and driving the team forward - that's the type of form you need from your midfield player."
So impressive is Willock's performances, there are strong calls from journalists, fans, and even Toon boss Howe, that the midfielder deserves a call-up for England. At 23, Willock has yet to play for the senior England side having gone through youth ranks. Our Newcastle United Editor Aaron Stokes believes Willock should be getting a call from England manager Gareth Southgate sometime soon.
"For me, he's knocking on the England door, and Eddie Howe is really banging the drum for him. He's sort of said going forward and defensively, he thinks Willock is the man who can help Gareth Southgate. It was very interesting that Southgate made comments about not enough English players playing at the top of the Premier League - well at this stage of things, Joe Willock is going to be playing Champions League football next season.
"Willock is one of the first names on the team sheet, and if Newcastle were ever to sell him, they'd get a lot more for him now! I'm just really pleased for him. He's such a huge player for this team. He's better defensively. He's better going forward. He's amazing in this setup. He looks fitter. He looks bulkier. The engine he has got now is fantastic and he looks very assured in this team."
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