Arsenal have enjoyed some great success in the transfer market over the previous few seasons, with Mikel Arteta going through a rebuilding job which is lowering the average age while still having enough quality to compete for the biggest prizes.

The Spaniard has signed the likes of Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Aaron Ramsdale, and Ben White, who have all improved the first-team squad while offloading players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Calum Chambers, and Willian, which freed up some of the wage budget.

Arteta hasn’t gotten much wrong in the transfer market, yet letting Joe Willock leave on a permanent basis for £25m in the summer of 2021 might just be one of his rare blunders, especially with his current value.

What has Joe Willock achieved since leaving Arsenal?

Having made 78 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 11 goals, Arteta clearly felt £25m for a player who wouldn’t be a regular in his side was far too good to turn down.

Willock initially moved to Newcastle United on loan in January 2021, impressing in the North East, scoring eight goals in just 14 matches with that remarkable run of form leading the club to make the move permanent.

Last season, the 23-year-old endured a rocky spell, averaging a Sofascore rating of 6.71/10, ranking him as just the 17th-best player in the Newcastle squad. With that in mind, Arteta will have been thanking his lucky stars that the club decided to cash in.

This season however, he has improved, registering four goal contributions in 22 matches – already double what he achieved last year in seven fewer matches – while creating five big chances, making 0.9 key passes, and averaging 41.2 touches per match, proving himself to be an integral part in Newcastle’s chase for the European spots this term.

Indeed, he ranks second in the squad for big chances created, fifth for goals and assists, and sixth for tackles per game, further underlining how much he has improved since last term, where he ranked outside the top 15 for big chances created, 12th for goals and assists while maintaining a sixth spot for tackles per match.

Such are his impressive performances recently, Football Transfers value the midfielder at €34.2m (£30m) and this will surely only increase if he keeps performing well.

Arteta’s midfield is hardly full of options and in a campaign where the club has had to rely on the likes of Mohamed Elneny and Albert Sambi-Lokonga to plug gaps, Arteta may rue his call on selling the player.

Indeed, Willock could well have proved a useful squad player, operating in the number 8 role that Granit Xhaka has thrived in, scoring goals from deep just as the Newcastle man has done at St James’ Park.

The Englishman was dubbed “limitless” by former Arsenal manager Unai Emery back in 2019 after breaking through under the Spaniard and although it may have taken a few years, it looks like he is finally beginning to deliver on his early promise and could be an important part of the Newcastle side as they chase their highest league finish in over a decade.