Joe Willock

Last updated

Joe Willock
1 joe willock 2018.jpg
Willock playing for Arsenal in 2018
Personal information
Full name Joseph George Willock [1]
Date of birth (1999-08-20) 20 August 1999 (age 26) [2]
Place of birth Waltham Forest, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m) [3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Newcastle United
Number 28
Youth career
2014–2017 Arsenal
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2017–2021 Arsenal 40 (1)
2021 → Newcastle United (loan) 14 (8)
2021– Newcastle United 106 (6)
International career
2014 England U16 2 (1)
2017–2018 England U19 6 (0)
2018–2019 England U20 7 (4)
2019–2020 England U21 4 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:03, 13 September 2025 (UTC)

Joseph George Willock (born 20 August 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Newcastle United.

Contents

Club career

Arsenal

A youth product of Arsenal, Willock joined Arsenal at age four-and-a-half, having been allowed to play alongside his older brothers. [4] He made his first-team debut for the club on 20 September 2017 in the EFL Cup against Doncaster Rovers. [5]

Willock made his Premier League debut against Newcastle United on 15 April 2018. [6] He scored his first senior goal on 29 November 2018 in a 3–0 UEFA Europa League victory away at Vorskla Poltava. [7] He then scored his first brace in a 3–0 FA Cup victory away at Blackpool on 5 January 2019. [8]

On 12 September 2019, it was announced that Willock had signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal. [9] [10] On 19 September 2019, he played as Arsenal won 3–0 against Eintracht Frankfurt by scoring a deflected effort to open the scoring in the opening matchday of the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League. [11] Willock scored his first goal at the Emirates Stadium on 24 September 2019 after tapping-in Arsenal's third goal in a 5–0 EFL Cup win over Nottingham Forest, set-up by Héctor Bellerín. [12] On 25 June 2020, he scored his first Premier League goal in a 2–0 win over Southampton. [13]

Newcastle United

On 1 February 2021, Willock joined Newcastle United on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. [14] On 6 February, Willock scored in the 16th minute on his debut in a 3–2 win over Southampton. [15] After scoring in three consecutive substitute appearances against Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Liverpool, [16] [17] [18] Willock was rewarded with a start against Leicester City, where he was once again on target, scoring the opening goal in a 4–2 win. [19] On 14 May, Willock scored in a 4–3 defeat against Manchester City. [20] On 19 May, he scored in his sixth consecutive league game, becoming the youngest player in Premier League history to do so at the age of 21 years and 272 days, a record previously held by Romelu Lukaku. [21] This was surpassed by Rasmus Højlund on 18 February 2024. [22] Four days later, on the final day of the Premier League season, he scored again to equal the club record of consecutive games scored in, set by Alan Shearer. [23]

On 13 August 2021, Newcastle confirmed the signing of Willock on a six-year contract. [24] The fee was reported to be £25 million. [25] On 19 February 2022, Willock scored his first goal since signing permanently for the club, in a 1–1 draw against West Ham United. [26] The following week, he scored Newcastle's second goal in a 2–0 win over Brentford. [27]

On 16 March 2025 Joe Willock came off the bench to appear in the 2025 EFL Cup final and become part of the first Newcastle United team to win a major domestic honour in 70 years. [28] Willock had scored the team's only goal against Nottingham Forest in the second round of the tournament to help the club's to the final. [29]

International career

Willock scored for the England under-16 team against Scotland in the 2014 Victory Shield. [30] He also represented the England under-19 team but was one of a number of players withdrawn from selection for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship by their club. [31]

Willock represented the England under-20 team in the 2018–19 Under 20 Elite League and scored the winning goals in games against Italy [32] and Germany. [33] Willock was a member of an England Under-20 side at the 2019 Toulon Tournament and scored in group stage defeats against Portugal [34] and Chile. [35]

On 30 August 2019, Willock was included in the England under-21 squad for the first time [36] but had to withdraw due to injury. [37] He eventually made his U21 debut on 11 October 2019 during a 2–2 draw with Slovenia in Maribor. [38]

Personal life

Willock was born in Walthamstow [39] which is located in Waltham Forest, Greater London. [40] His brothers, Chris and Matty, are also footballers. All three brothers shared a pitch when Manchester United played a reserve game against Arsenal in May 2017. [41] He is of Montserratian descent. [42]

Career statistics

As of match played 18 September 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup EFL Cup Europe OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Arsenal 2017–18 [43] Premier League 2010305 [a] 000110
2018–19 [44] Premier League2012003 [a] 1—63
2019–20 [45] Premier League29150228 [a] 2—445
2020–21 [46] Premier League7010305 [a] 31 [b] 0173
Total4018282216107811
Arsenal U21 2018–19 [44] ————2 [c] 323
Newcastle United (loan) 2020–21 [46] Premier League148————148
Newcastle United 2021–22 [47] Premier League2921010——312
2022–23 [48] Premier League3531070——433
2023–24 [49] Premier League9120112 [d] 0—142
2024–25 [50] Premier League3202271——413
2025–26 [51] Premier League1000001 [d] 0—20
Total10666216230—13110
Career total160151442442463322532
  1. 1 2 3 4 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. ↑ Appearance in FA Community Shield
  3. ↑ Appearances in EFL Trophy
  4. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Champions League

Honours

Arsenal

Newcastle United

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  2. ↑ "Joseph Willock". ESPN. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  3. ↑ "Joe Willock". Newcastle United F.C. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Focus on youth at Arsenal" – via www.youtube.com.
  5. ↑ "Arsenal vs. Doncaster Rovers". Soccerway. Perform Group.
  6. ↑ Richards, Alex (15 April 2018). "Wenger springs major surprise handing teen his Premier League debut at Newcastle". Daily Mirror.
  7. ↑ Mann, Mantej (29 November 2018). "Vorskla Poltava 0–3 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  8. ↑ Magowan, Alistair (5 January 2019). "Blackpool 0–3 Arsenal in FA Cup third round: Joe Willock with double for Gunners". BBC Sport.
  9. ↑ "Joe Willock signs new contract". Arsenal F.C.
  10. ↑ "Joe Willock signs long-term Arsenal contract". BBC Sport. 12 September 2019.
  11. ↑ "Eintracht Frankfurt 0–3 Arsenal: Gunners begin Europa League with win in Germany". BBC Sport. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  12. ↑ Collings, Simon (24 September 2019). "Arsenal 5-0 Forest: Martinelli stars as Tierney, Bellerin return". www.standard.co.uk.
  13. ↑ "Southampton vs. Arsenal - Football Match Report - June 25, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  14. ↑ "Willock joins United on loan for rest of the season". Newcastle United F.C. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  15. ↑ Sutcliffe, Steve (6 February 2021). "Newcastle United 3–2 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  16. ↑ Matthews, Callum (4 April 2021). "Newcastle United 2–2 Tottenham Hotspur". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  17. ↑ Sutcliffe, Steve (17 April 2021). "Newcastle United 3–2 West Ham United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  18. ↑ Rostance, Tom (24 April 2021). "Liverpool 1–1 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  19. ↑ Thomason, Ellie (7 May 2021). "Leicester 2–4 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  20. ↑ Sutcliffe, Steve (14 May 2021). "Newcastle 3–4 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  21. ↑ @OptaJoe (19 May 2021). "21y 272d - Joe Willock has now scored in six consecutive Premier League appearances, becoming the youngest player in the competition's history to do so at the age of 21 years and 272 days. Unleashed" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 May 2021– via Twitter.
  22. ↑ "Hojlund makes Premier League history as Man Utd hold off Luton". France 24 . 18 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  23. ↑ @OptaJoe (23 May 2021). "Joe Willock is only the second Newcastle player to score in seven consecutive Premier League appearances, after Alan Shearer in 1996. Incredible" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ "Newcastle United sign Joe Willock on a permanent deal". Newcastle United F.C. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  25. ↑ "Joe Willock: Newcastle sign Arsenal midfielder for £25m". Sky Sports. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  26. ↑ Bysouth, Alex (19 February 2022). "West Ham United 1–1 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  27. ↑ McNulty, Phil (26 February 2022). "Brentford 0–2 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  28. ↑ "Liverpool 1-2 Newcastle: Magpies win Carabao Cup to end 70-year domestic trophy wait". BBC football.
  29. ↑ "Nottingham Forest 1-1 Newcastle (3-4 on pens): Mixed bag for new boys". BBC Football. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  30. ↑ Bradbury, Jamie (20 November 2014). "England U16s see off Scotland in Victory Shield encounter". Football Association. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  31. ↑ "European Championships: England begin defence of U19 title without star names". BBC Sport. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  32. ↑ Liles, Emily (11 October 2018). "Edward Nketiah and Joe Willock with the goals as England U20s edge Italy". Football Association. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  33. ↑ "Two quickfire goals in the second half enough to sink Germany in Colchester". Football Association. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  34. ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (4 June 2019). "Young Lions slip to second defeat in Provence as Toulon title defence comes to an end". Football Association. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  35. ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (7 June 2019). "Young Lions suffer a third defeat in Toulon after two late goals turn game around". Football Association. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  36. ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (30 August 2019). "England U21s kick-off a new campaign and Aidy Boothroyd has picked his squad". Football Association. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  37. ↑ Veevers, Nicholas (3 September 2019). "England U21s welcome two new faces to the squad as pair withdraw through injury". Football Association. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  38. ↑ "GOALS FROM EDDIE NKETIAH AND SAM SURRIDGE CANCELLED OUT AS YOUNG LIONS TIE IN MARIBOR". The FA. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  39. ↑ "Joe Willock". paininthearsenal.com. Andrew Dowdeswell. 5 April 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  40. ↑ "Joe Willock". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  41. ↑ Kelly, Ciaran (16 October 2017). "What Man Utd player Paul Pogba said to loan star when he took squad number". Manchestereveningnews.co.uk.
  42. ↑ "Cookies op AD.nl". Algemeen Dagblad.
  43. ↑ "Games played by Joe Willock in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  44. 1 2 "Games played by Joe Willock in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  45. ↑ "Games played by Joe Willock in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  46. 1 2 "Games played by Joe Willock in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  47. ↑ "Games played by Joe Willock in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  48. ↑ "Games played by Joe Willock in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  49. ↑ "Games played by Joe Willock in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  50. ↑ "Games played by Joe Willock in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  51. ↑ "Games played by Joe Willock in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  52. ↑ McNulty, Phil (1 August 2020). "Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  53. ↑ Rostance, Tom (6 August 2017). "Arsenal 1–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  54. ↑ Sanders, Emma (29 August 2020). "Arsenal 1–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  55. ↑ Bevan, Chris (29 May 2019). "Chelsea 4–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  56. ↑ "Liverpool 1–2 Newcastle United: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 16 March 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  57. ↑ McNulty, Phil (26 February 2023). "Manchester United 2–0 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  58. ↑ "Joe Willock: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
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