Unai Emery says it was a good decision for all parties involved for Joe Willock to sign a contract extension with the club.

Willock signed a long-term contract with Arsenal this week, reportedly lasting until 2023. The midfielder made an impression on Emery during pre-season and was handed a run of games in the Premier League as a result, eventually earning him his new deal.

Emery spoke about the new deal in his press conference ahead of Arsenal’s weekend clash with Watford, responding to a question about whether Willock has a big future.

“Yes, it’s very good news,” Emery said. “He’s young, he has energy, he has quality, skill. He is hungry for helping us to be here. It’s a good decision for him and for us.”

Willock has a lot of competition in midfield when everybody is fit, so he can’t take anything for granted in terms of starts.

Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Granit Xhaka are all fighting for spots in deeper positions, whilst Dani Ceballos and Mesut Özil appear to be in competition for the third midfield place in the team. Emile Smith Rowe is also likely to be involved if he doesn’t end up playing out wide.

With Willock too, that’s seven players for three spots, four at most if Emery repeats the system he used against Liverpool.

All the same, the head coach clearly appreciates the 20-year-old’s quality, and he had enough faith in him to let him start the first three games of the season. We’ve seen with Guendouzi that Emery is willing to keep giving inexperienced players chances – as long as they’re taking them.