Willian has revisited his failed spell at Arsenal and discussed why he struggled in North London.
The Brazilian made the move from Chelsea to Arsenal in 2020, becoming the latest player to make the switch between the London clubs.
Mikel Arteta signed him in an attempt to bolster Arsenal’s squad, as the team lacked quality, and Willian was still considered a top player during his time at Chelsea.
Having built a good reputation in the Premier League, Willian was expected to make a significant impact and elevate Arsenal’s performance.
However, things did not go as planned, and by the end of the season, he opted to terminate his big-money contract with the club.
He insists Arsenal wanted him to stay, but he left because he was not happy. Willian Said to ESPN Brasil:
“When it came to the end of the first season, I spoke to them and said: I don’t think it’s going to work out here. I’m a player who needs to feel happy where I am, and here I can’t find myself. So we decided to terminate my contract, but Arsenal always wanted me to stay, to try for another year. I think the main factor was that I caught the club in the middle of a revamp, changing everything.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Most of us were surprised by Willian’s struggles because we had watched him deliver terrific performances for Chelsea before he moved to the Emirates.
However, it is good that he was candid with himself and knew that the move simply wasn’t working at the time.
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There is one way of looking at it – which is that he didn’t want to be bothered.
If that were true he would have just sat on the contract rather than agree to a cancelation.
I have a lot of respect for him. He was not performing here but he owned it.
Yes he did, Nabilo, so perhaps I didn’t word it correctly as Willian did indeed want to play and not sit on the sidelines.
I meant that he did not have the stomach for being part of a “process”, but instead wanted to play for a club that was stable and not facing big changes, which was definitely the case at the time.