Chris Willock
Christopher Anthony Willock (born 31 January 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Championship club Queens Park Rangers.
Willock playing for Arsenal U19 in 2015 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Christopher Anthony Willock[1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 31 January 1998||
Place of birth | Waltham Forest, England | ||
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Winger | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Queens Park Rangers | ||
Number | 21 | ||
Youth career | |||
2003–2016 | Arsenal | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016–2017 | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
2017–2020 | Benfica B | 64 | (14) |
2019–2020 | → West Bromwich Albion (loan) | 0 | (0) |
2020 | → Huddersfield Town (loan) | 14 | (2) |
2020– | Queens Park Rangers | 19 | (1) |
National team‡ | |||
2013–2014 | England U16 | 6 | (1) |
2014–2015 | England U17 | 18 | (2) |
2015–2016 | England U18 | 4 | (0) |
2016–2017 | England U19 | 10 | (3) |
2017–2018 | England U20 | 9 | (1) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 January 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 September 2018 |
Club career
Arsenal
Born in Waltham Forest, London, Willock joined Arsenal's academy when he was five years old.[3] He, then aged 16, appeared for the Arsenal first team in a pre-season friendly in 2014 when Arsène Wenger described him as a "very interesting player".[4] At the end of the 2015–16 season, he scored and provided two assists in a victory over Aston Villa in the U21 Premier League play-off final held at the Emirates Stadium.[5][6] He made his first team debut on 20 September 2016 against Nottingham Forest in the League Cup.[7]
Benfica
On 30 June 2017, Willock signed a five-year contract with Portuguese champions Benfica.[8][9] He made his Benfica debut with the reserve team in a LigaPro match against Varzim on 23 August 2017.[10]
West Bromwich Albion (loan)
On 8 August 2019, Willock joined West Bromwich Albion on a season-long loan with options to review the agreement in January. Willock didn't make a single appearance for West Brom in the 4 months he was there.[11]
Huddersfield Town (loan)
After struggling to break into the first team at West Brom, Willock joined Huddersfield Town on 31 January 2020. He went on to score 2 goals for the club and one of those being against West Brom the team he had just been loaned at.[12]
Queens Park Rangers
On 5 October 2020, Willock joined Championship side Queens Park Rangers for £750,000 on a three-year deal with an option for a further year.[13] He scored his first goal for QPR in a 1-0 win over Cardiff City on 20 January 2021.[14]
Personal life
Willock has two brothers, Matty and Joe, who are also footballers. All three brothers shared a pitch when Manchester United played a reserve game against Arsenal in May 2017.[15] Willock is of Montserratian descent.[16]
References
- "Chris Willock - Mallorca Futbol". Mallorca Futbol. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- "Chris Willock". 11v11. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- "Introducing Chris Willock". Youtube.com.
- Bleaney, Rob (21 July 2014). "Arsène Wenger identifies 16-year-old Chris Willock as next Arsenal star". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- "Arsenal's Chris Willock gives masterclass as Under-21s are promoted to Division One". Metro.co.uk.
- "Christopher Willock: Profile". Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- "Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal - 20 September 2016 - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- "Chris Willock joins Benfica". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- "Chris Willock: "Estou muito entusiasmado"" [Chris Willock: "I am very excited"]. S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). 2 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- https://www.slbenfica.pt/en-us/agora/noticias/2017_2018/08/23/benfica-b-estreia-oficial-de-willock/
- "Willock arrives at The Hawthorns". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- "LOAN: CHRIS WILLOCK ARRIVES FROM BENFICA!". Huddersfield Town A.F.C. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- "Chris Willock completes QPR switch". www.qpr.co.uk. 5 October 2020.
- "Cardiff 0-1 QPR". BBC. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/man-utd-news-willock-pogba-13766528
- "ForaDeJogo.net - Chris Willock (Christopher Anthony Willock)". ForaDeJogo.
- "Under-17 - Technical report - Team of the Tournament". UEFA. Retrieved 12 March 2019.