Joe Willock has listed Calum Chambers as one of the most vocal players in the Arsenal dressing room and said the defender, along with three other teammates have been great at helping him integrate with the first team.
The midfielder, 20, has been in and around the senior squad since Arsene Wenger handed him his debut in 2017 but it was Unai Emery who officially promoted him to the first team in 2019.
The England under-21 international has since had game time under Freddie Ljungberg, who’d also coached him at under-23 level, and Mikel Arteta, with whom he may have crossed paths at Hale End when the Spaniard was undertaking his coaching badges as a player.
Despite the coaching upheaval, Willock has made impressively steady progress and credits player togetherness for helping him step up.
“At Arsenal, we are a very tight-knit team, we all try and help each other,” he told talkSPORT.
“If I have to name a few names, I would say David Luiz, Lacazette and a few of the younger players like Calum Chambers, Granit Xhaka, because they are very vocal and big players in the changing room I sort of gravitated to them more. They helped me and always speak to me.”
Having been in Arsenal’s Academy since he was four-years-old, it’s fair to say Willock is a dyed-in-the-wool Gooner. Unsurprisingly, being handed the chance to play for the club by Wenger was subsequently a dream come true.
“Growing up, Arsene Wenger was Arsenal,” he said. “It was all I knew. He was part of the furniture. For me to grow up and play under him was a crazy feeling. It was surreal. He’s an amazing man.
“Arsene Wenger was a very laid back man but when he spoke, everyone listened. He was Arsene Wenger so everyone had to listen.
“He always taught me personally to play with freedom and enjoy myself. That’s one thing I can take from him.”
“Chris, take le handbrake off”
It’s obviously important for young players to have some senior pros (and top coaches) around to help guide them. But if David “007” Luiz, Alexandre “Le Ballon” Lacazette, Calum Chambers and Granit “Hulkamania” Xhaka are the most senior voices in the dressing room…
Despite yours / everyone’s gripes with Luiz, Xhaka etc ON the pitch, you can’t argue that they’re a shambles OFF the pitch, far from it. These are experienced, trophy-winning, international players – who have been there / done that and we should see the benefits down the line for these guys passing on the knowledge and guidance to a fledgling 20-year old. Yes, a lot of the players aren’t good enough and nowhere near as good as we’ve had in the past, but my point is; they’re helping Willock when we lose or when he gets criticised and… Read more »
no nickname for Calum? He will be dissapointed
He’s had no misdemeanours this season as far as I can tell, so he’s avoiding an affectionate ribbing for now. Still, it’s feels a bit strange that he’s apparently such a senior player.
Just think, 20 years ago that list would have been Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira. Don’t tell me we haven’t progressed.
Pretty much this.
Le sigh. Miss the Boss.
Sad thing is Chambers was our best defender.
how does willock compare to emre can?
Willock is talented player, but sometimes he goes missing in games. The Man City game, in the first half, I forgot he was even playing. Can has way more experience than willock. I think apart from Saka, Martinelli, and Martinez we should send all our youngsters on loan to the Championship for a full year, and make sure they get 30+ games.
Emre Can but Willock Cant.
To give credits where it’s due: kudos to Unai to effectively integrate academy players like Willock and Saka.