Ian Wright wants Arsenal youngster Joe Willock to get more chances

Add as preferred source on Google

Ian Wright has suggested that Arsenal youngster Joe Willock should be recalled to the club’s starting XI by manager Mikel Arteta.

The 20-year-old has been a regular starter in cup competitions this season, as well as starting the opening three Premier League games of the campaign.

But the central midfielder has not started a league fixture since the beginning of December and has had to be patient recently for the Gunners.

The England Under-21 international is a highly-rated young talent that can anywhere across the midfield and he’s managed four goals in 28 appearances this term.

Wright, who is an ex-Arsenal striker and now working as a BBC pundit, claims that Willock could help add some attacking drive to the current team if he got more opportunities.

“I think Joe Willock, he came on again the other day, he needs more games now. He needs to be pushing people who are not performing,” Wright told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.

“He needs his chance now, Joe Willock. There have been people who have been bought for a lot of money, who are not performing, at the minute offensively and we do need people to step up now. And I think Willock is somebody who’s ready to do that.”

TBR’s View:

Willock may be the type of player that can inject some extra liveliness in the final third, as at the moment Arsenal are lacking star quality and are heading for a mid-table finish in the league.

The rising English talent is a fearless playmaker that needs more chances from Arteta to show what he can do and it will be interesting to see when that happens.

He’s an academy graduate that has seven goals in 45 appearances at senior level since his first-team breakthrough and there is potential for him to be a regular goalscorer.