Joe Willock's Transfer to Besiktas: Arsenal's Smart Clause Pays Off

Arsenal’s accountants might not be on the pitch when the season starts, but they could be among the club’s early winners of the summer.

A deal struck three years ago, almost forgotten outside the corridors of power, is close to dropping a tidy sum back into the Emirates.

A loan spell, a sale – and a clever clause

When Joe Willock left Arsenal for Newcastle United in 2021, the headline figure was clear enough: £25million for an academy graduate who had just lit up Tyneside on loan. The 26-year-old had powered through that temporary stint at St. James’ Park, convincing Newcastle to make the move permanent.

Hidden behind the fee, though, sat the detail that now matters. Arsenal inserted a sell-on clause into the agreement. The percentage remains undisclosed, but its existence has been confirmed – and it is about to become relevant.

Willock’s five-year chapter in the North East looks close to its final pages. He is understood to be closing in on a £17.4m transfer to Besiktas, with Newcastle having already turned down a £10m offer earlier in the summer. ChronicleLive report that his agent has been in Turkey to progress the move and that personal terms with the Super Lig side have been agreed.

With just 12 months left on his contract, Newcastle are ready to cash in. Arsenal are ready to collect.

From Emirates hopeful to Newcastle mainstay

Willock’s story winds neatly between the two clubs. He broke into Arsenal’s first team in 2017, a slender midfielder with long strides and a knack for timing his runs. In April 2018, he marked his Premier League debut with a goal – fittingly, against Newcastle.

Across four seasons in north London, he made 78 appearances and scored 11 goals. Flashes of promise, moments that hinted at more, but never quite the consistent starring role he found elsewhere.

That came at St. James’ Park. Since his permanent move, Willock has played 168 times for Newcastle, again scoring 11 goals. He became a trusted part of their midfield rotation, an energetic presence in a side that evolved quickly under new ownership and under Eddie Howe.

Now, with his contract running down and Newcastle balancing their own financial picture, the time has come for a parting. For Arsenal, it is the moment that sell-on clause finally comes to life.

Timely boost for a defending champion

The timing could hardly be better for Mikel Arteta’s side. Arsenal are preparing for a Premier League title defence and have already moved decisively in the market, bringing in Christos Tzolis, Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier and Bruno Guimaraes.

That level of recruitment does not come cheap. Any extra income, especially one not reliant on moving out current first-team players, offers valuable breathing space as the club weighs further additions.

A new left-winger remains high on the agenda. Arsenal have been linked with Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior, only to watch those doors close – Chelsea stepped in for the England international, while Real Madrid tied down their Brazilian star to new terms.

So the search continues. And every extra pound from Willock’s move to Besiktas sharpens Arsenal’s ability to act when the right opportunity appears.

A few years ago, Joe Willock’s departure looked like the end of a chapter. Now it might quietly fund the next twist in Arsenal’s title defence.