Joe Willock says the idea perpetuated by the media that he was living in the shadow of his older brothers helped him to progress and prove people wrong.

Joe Willock scoring against Fiorentina in pre-season (Photo via Arsenal.com)
Joe Willock scoring against Fiorentina in pre-season (Photo via Arsenal.com)

Growing up in the Arsenal academy, Joe Willock had brothers Chris and Matty ahead of him. Though Matty was released by the club in 2011 and moved on to Manchester United, Chris remained with the Gunners until 2017, stealing the limelight away from Joe.

It was only after Chris left the club for Benfica that Joe made it into the Arsenal senior squad for the first time. The midfielder had been struggling to even get into the u23s in the previous season, but he finally caught Arsene Wenger’s eye in the summer of 2017.

Suddenly, Joe was the Willock brother getting all the attention, and a couple of years later he appears to have broken into the Arsenal first team for good.

The 20-year-old insists he’s always been his own player though, and the talk of him being in Chris’ shadow just made him want to prove that all the more.

“Yeah, obviously people would always say I was in his shadow, but that’s what people say,” Joe told Arsenal.com.

“I feel like I’ve always had my own identity and running through the ranks I was always able to show what I can do up to a small point in my career and I had a bit of a dip, but I feel like I’ve always shown what I can do at Hale End.

“That’s peoples opinions and they’re always going to say one thing or another, but I feel like it has helped me because it has helped me to come out and prove people wrong. That’s what I love doing really.

“It’s helped me in that way but I’ve always felt that I can produce on my own two feet.”

Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock via Arsenal.com
Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock via Arsenal.com

Alongside his close friend and former academy teammate Reiss Nelson, Willock has been centre-stage for Arsenal this summer. He’s earned two starts in the team’s first two Premier League matches of the season, and it almost certain to at least make the squad against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.

The academy graduate is certainly proving people wrong, and long may it continue.