Joe Willock's Transfer to Besiktas Boosts Arsenal's Future Funding
Arsenal’s past is about to fund a slice of their future.
A sell-on clause inserted into Joe Willock’s move to Newcastle United in 2021 is close to delivering a welcome cash injection, with the midfielder edging towards a transfer to Besiktas.
Back then, Willock left the Emirates in a £25million deal after a blistering loan spell at St. James’ Park. He was 21, full of running, and Newcastle were desperate for goals from midfield. Arsenal, reshaping under Mikel Arteta, chose to cash in but made sure the door to future profit stayed open.
That decision now looks shrewd.
Willock on the move again
Willock, now 26, is in the final year of his contract in the North East. Newcastle, operating under tighter financial constraints and needing to balance their squad, are ready to sell rather than risk losing him for nothing in 12 months.
Besiktas have stepped forward. A £17.4m move is close, with Newcastle having already turned down a £10m bid earlier in the summer. ChronicleLive report that Willock’s agent has travelled to Turkey and personal terms have been agreed with the Super Lig side.
Once the clubs finalise the fee, Arsenal get their cut. The exact percentage of the sell-on clause remains undisclosed, but any slice of a £17.4m deal represents tidy, low-effort business for a player who left three years ago.
From Hale End to Istanbul, via Tyneside
Willock’s journey has been anything but dull.
He broke into the Arsenal first team in 2017 and marked his Premier League debut with a goal against, of all clubs, Newcastle, in April 2018. Across four seasons in north London, he made 78 appearances and scored 11 goals, showing flashes of the box-to-box energy that would later flourish in black and white.
His move to Tyneside turned promise into end product. Across five years at Newcastle, Willock has played 168 times and scored 11 goals, becoming a trusted part of the squad as the club transitioned from relegation battles to European ambitions.
Now, with Newcastle evolving again and Besiktas rebuilding, his next chapter is likely to unfold in Istanbul.
Timely boost for Arsenal’s title defence
For Arsenal, the timing could hardly be better.
Arteta’s side are gearing up for a Premier League title defence and have already moved aggressively in the market, bringing in Christos Tzolis, Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier and Bruno Guimaraes to deepen and sharpen the squad.
Yet the work is not finished. Arsenal are still hunting a new left-winger. They explored a move for Morgan Rogers before Chelsea stepped in to sign the England international. Any hope of prising Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid vanished when the Brazilian agreed new terms at the Bernabeu.
That leaves Arsenal still searching for the right profile out wide, and every extra pound matters under modern financial rules. Money arriving via Willock’s sale won’t transform their budget on its own, but it strengthens their hand, whether in fees, wages, or simply in giving them room to manoeuvre later in the window.
A goal on debut against Newcastle. A breakout loan that forced a £25m permanent deal. And now, a move to Besiktas that quietly tops up Arsenal’s transfer pot.
Willock’s story keeps looping back to north London. The question now is how decisively this unexpected windfall shapes the next – and perhaps decisive – phase of Arsenal’s pursuit of sustained dominance at the top of English football.
