Fulham considering signing yet another former Arsenal player | OneFootball

Joe Willock’s injury-hit spell on Tyneside may be coming to an end, with Fulham keen to bring the midfielder back to London as part of their rebuild.

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Fulham are exploring a move for Joe Willock, the Newcastle United midfielder who began his career at Arsenal, as the west London club continue their habit of recruiting former Gunners.

Willock, 25, made 78 senior appearances for Arsenal, scoring 11 goals, before leaving for Newcastle in 2021. After an explosive loan spell under Steve Bruce, in which he scored in seven consecutive Premier League matches, Newcastle paid £25 million to sign him permanently.

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However, persistent injury problems have derailed his momentum over the past two seasons, limiting his impact and raising the possibility of a summer departure. He has missed 61 games through injury for Newcastle.

According to reports, Fulham are now keen to bring Willock back to London, with Newcastle considering selling the midfielder to raise funds. Although Eddie Howe remains an admirer of Willock, he has a surplus of midfield options and may be willing to part with the former Hale End graduate should a suitable offer arrive.

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Willock’s potential move would continue a trend that has seen Fulham serve as an outpost for ex-Arsenal players, leading some fans to refer to them as ‘Arsenal West’. Their current squad already includes Bernd Leno, Alex Iwobi, and Emile Smith Rowe, the latter joining last season.

Reiss Nelson also spent time on loan at Craven Cottage, while Willian, whose disastrous one-year stint at Arsenal was followed by a resurgence at Fulham, was released at the end of the 2024–25 campaign.

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Joe Willock joined Arsenal’s academy aged five and rose through the ranks alongside his older brothers Chris and Matty, who were also on the books. Chris, a winger, never made a Premier League appearance for the first team but has since built a solid career in the Championship, although he was relegated to League One this season alongside Aaron Ramsey with Cardiff City. It is unclear if he will remain with the Bluebirds, whom he only joined from QPR at the start of last season.

Matty spent time with the youth setup before leaving for Manchester United, though he never broke through there either and retired from playing when he was just 25 following his release from Salford.

Joe was the standout of the trio, breaking into the Arsenal first team under Unai Emery and scoring his first senior goal in a 3–0 Europa League win away at Vorskla Poltava in 2018. He added goals against Liverpool, Blackpool, and Eintracht Frankfurt, and featured regularly in cup competitions under Mikel Arteta before his move north.

Should he make the switch to Fulham, Willock would be reunited with several familiar faces and potentially benefit from a less crowded midfield. For Fulham, it would be another calculated gamble on a player whose technical grounding at Arsenal remains solid, but whose fitness record has lately been a concern.

No fee has yet been reported, but any agreement is likely to include performance-based incentives, given Willock’s recent injury history. Newcastle are not under pressure to sell, though sources suggest the club may listen to offers in the region of £15 million.