When Joe Willock arrives at the Emirates to face Arsenal on Saturday night, he'll do so with respect for his former club and yet, with few regrets about leaving them.
The 24-year-old came through the ranks in north London, joining their academy in 2014 before being handed his first senior contract three years later. A breakthrough 2019/20 campaign, where he made 44 club appearances and landed an FA Cup winners' medal, seemed to cement the notion that Arsenal's next young star was rapidly rising.
But the following campaign turned somewhat sour. Suddenly out of favour under Mikel Arteta, and having made just two Premier League starts by January, a new opportunity emerged. And the England age-grade international didn't hesitate to take it.
While the reign of Steve Bruce was widely perceived as an underwhelming one from the Toon Army, his role in reviving the form of Willock has perhaps gone unheralded. The midfielder would feature regularly for Newcastle for the remainder of that campaign, and promptly impressed in black and white.
And it was Willock's comments at the tail-end of that season, which strongly implied he had little intention of returning to the capital having been given a new lease of life under Bruce, telling reporters: "When I decided to come here I had a sense of peace, I didn’t ever feel like it was going to be the wrong one (decision). When I came here, everyone was so welcoming."
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Asked if he intended to resurrect his Arsenal career at the culmination of the loan spell, the young star was less than definitive: "I’m here to prove to Newcastle United that I can play every week and affect the games and win games for them," he added. "I’m not really looking at Arsenal when that time comes for me to make a decision to go back or not that will come but right now, I’m focused on Newcastle and I’m loving every minute that I’m here."
Joe Willock in action for Newcastle last month (Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Joe Willock play for England? Comment below.
That time was duly extended by a subsequent £25million move that summer. Small wonder, given he finished his temporary spell by scoring in six consecutive matches, equalling the club set by a certain Alan Shearer.
If evidence was needed that Willock was seen as a long-term acquisition in the north-east, that award of a six-year contract was telling. And first two years of that deal yielded 74 more games for the club, not to mention Champions League game time in this campaign.
It is perhaps fair to conclude that Willock leaving Arsenal worked out best for both parties. Popular as a young player at his former club, there isn't likely to be much in the way of animosity should he step onto the field tonight. But nor will there be a longing to return to the environment which kick-started his career.
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