Willian has spoken about his exit from Arsenal and revealed that he was the one that pushed to leave and the Gunners never asked him to do that.
The Brazilian has returned to Brazil where he now plays for Corinthians in the country’s top flight.
He is a happier man now and admitted that he struggled during his time at the Emirates.
His departure from Arsenal meant he left a lot of money on the table because he still had two seasons left on his big-money deal.
However, the former Chelsea attacker maintains that there are things that are more important than money in life and one of them is happiness.
He said he wasn’t happy and informed the Gunners that he needed to leave and join another club where he would be happier and they agreed to mutually end his contract.
“My year at Arsenal was a bit complicated. I really couldn’t adapt to the club. I wasn’t happy there,” Willian told Arena SBT as quoted by Sport Witness.
“To make it very clear too, it wasn’t the club that wanted me to leave. I wanted to leave the club. I expressed my feeling, said I wasn’t happy. I said I wanted to look elsewhere, another place to play. And so there was this decision to leave.
“There are things in life that money can’t buy, money doesn’t pay for. You have joy, happiness, peace, a solid family. I think this is the most important thing for me.”
He will not look back on his time at the Emirates fondly, but he had a fine stint at Chelsea and will remain a fan favourite there.