Arsenal’s Joe Willock Clause Set to Pay Off with Besiktas Move

Arsenal’s accountants might not be on the pitch when the Premier League season kicks off, but they could be the first to celebrate this week.

A deal struck three years ago, almost forgotten outside the boardroom, is suddenly back in sharp focus. Joe Willock, the academy product who left north London for Newcastle United in 2021, is closing in on a move to Besiktas — and Arsenal are poised to cash in.

A clause comes back to life

When Willock swapped the Emirates Stadium for St. James’ Park in a £25 million transfer, Arsenal quietly inserted a sell-on clause into the agreement. The percentage remains under wraps, but the principle is clear: every step Willock takes now on the transfer market sends money back to his boyhood club.

That decision is about to bear fruit.

The 26-year-old is close to a £17.4m switch to Besiktas in the Turkish Super Lig. Newcastle have already turned down a £10m offer earlier in the summer, holding out for a fee that better reflects a player who has been a key part of their resurgence under Eddie Howe.

ChronicleLive report that Willock’s agent has been in Turkey to push the move along, with personal terms allegedly agreed. With just 12 months left on his contract at Newcastle, the timing suits all parties. The Magpies avoid losing him for nothing. Besiktas get their man. Arsenal get a welcome, unexpected boost to their budget.

From Emirates prospect to St. James’ mainstay

Willock’s journey has been anything but a footnote.

He broke into the Arsenal first team in 2017 and announced himself in style, scoring on his Premier League debut against Newcastle in April 2018. Across four seasons in red and white, he made 78 appearances and scored 11 goals, showing flashes of the box-to-box energy that made him such a prized academy graduate.

The real explosion came on Tyneside. Initially signed on loan, Willock’s goal streak in that temporary spell forced Newcastle’s hand and helped secure his permanent £25m move in 2021. Since then, he has made 168 appearances and scored 11 goals for the Magpies, becoming a trusted figure in a side transformed from relegation candidates to European contenders.

Now, after five years in the North East, that chapter is close to closing.

Timely boost for a title-chasing squad

Back in north London, the timing could hardly be better.

Arsenal, preparing for a Premier League title defence, have already moved decisively in the market. Christos Tzolis, Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier and Bruno Guimaraes have all come through the door, signalling a squad being tuned, not torn up.

Yet the work is not done. A new left-winger remains on the shopping list.

Arsenal have explored moves for Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior. Both doors have slammed shut. Chelsea stepped in to sign Rogers, while Real Madrid tied Vinicius down on new terms, shutting off any realistic route to the Bernabeu star.

That leaves Mikel Arteta and the recruitment team searching for alternatives — and every extra pound matters when you are operating at the sharp end of the market.

This is where that Willock clause becomes more than a clever line on a contract. It turns a former prospect’s next step into fresh ammunition for a squad already built to compete at the very top.

Arsenal once invested in Joe Willock’s future. Now, as he prepares for a new life in Istanbul, that investment is about to help shape their own.