Gabby Agbonlahor has rated Arsenal’s disposal of Willian as one of the top transfer businesses of the summer.
The Gunners signed the Brazilian as a free agent from Chelsea last summer as Mikel Arteta sought to add some experience to his squad.
The Gunners gave the attacker a 3-year deal after he showed top form in his last season at Chelsea.
However, his transfer to the Emirates proved to be a rookie manager’s mistake by Arteta, as he failed to hit the heights expected of him repeatedly.
The Arsenal boss did all he could for Willian to become as good as he was at Chelsea, but it never happened.
He was one of Arsenal’s top earners, but he struggled to justify his pay and the club’s fans turned on him.
With two more seasons left on his current deal, Arsenal risked having another Mesut Ozil scenario, but Willian agreed to end his contract early to move back to Brazil with Corinthians in the last transfer window.
Taking his huge wages off their expenditure was an enormous win and Agbonlahor claims that it is one of the best deals done this summer.
He told TalkSport: “Number five is Willian, I feel is a great deal for Arsenal to save ₤20m in wages.
“I didn’t want a similar situation to Ozil where a player at a club and not playing.
“So a great bit of business for Arsenal to get him out the door.”