Willian has opened up about his failed Arsenal spell, admitting he was sold a dream that wasn’t “good” in the end.
Former Chelsea star Willian has admitted that he made a big mistake by leaving Stamford Bridge and joining Arsenal in 2020.
However, his time at the Emirates Stadium quickly turned sour, and just three months into his Arsenal career, Willian was already looking to leave. He joined Arsenal on a free transfer after negotiations over a new contract with Chelsea broke down.
At the time, Willian was told by Mikel Arteta that he would play an important role in his side and convince him to move across London. Speaking on The Obi One podcast, he said: “Arteta told me: ‘We’re going to play like this, we’re going to play like this. I want you to be the main man. We’ll build the team around you, blah blah blah.”
“He said, ‘I want to give you the keys to the club. When I heard that, I obviously love Chelsea, but it was the last year of my contract. At 32, I was thinking three years longer, London, my family loves London.
“Then I decided. To be honest, I should have stayed. But at that moment I thought that maybe the best solution is to go there. I signed a three-year contract there, but it didn’t go well.”
Initially, Willian was excited to start his Arsenal career, saying: “First of all, I was happy when I got there, I was motivated to go and express myself like I did at Chelsea.”
But this optimism was short-lived. “Three months later, in August, I joined the club and in November I told my agent that I wanted to leave because I was upset,” the 38-year-old added.
“I’m not saying it’s their fault, but when you hear a lot and then join the club – it’s not the same as what they told me.
“I immediately got angry and told my agent that I wanted to leave after 3 months. I told him ‘I made a big mistake’.”
When asked if the promises were broken, Willian explained: “It was more because of what I heard. I was disappointed because when I was there I saw some situations that I told myself, it’s not going to change.
“But it didn’t work out and that’s why I couldn’t play or perform well because I wasn’t happy. You can’t perform when you’re not happy. You can’t buy happiness with money.
“It was the best contract of my life there, but I wasn’t happy. I have nothing against him [Arteta].
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“He’s a great coach on the pitch, his ideas are great, but he’s missed the little nuances of how to run a team. The human side, he’s missed that. That’s important, but he’s good on the pitch.
“I always joke that I was sold a dream and it wasn’t a good dream.”
At the time, Arteta said of Willian: “I believe he is a player who can make a real difference for us. We have been watching him for the last few months, we are looking to strengthen in the attacking midfield and wing positions. [and] he is a player who gives us versatility, he can play three or four different positions.
“He has experience of everything in the world of football but still wants to come here and contribute to get the club where it belongs. I’ve been very impressed with all the talks I’ve had with him and the fact that he wants to come.”
The versatile winger made 37 appearances for the Gunners in his only season at the club and scored just one goal. He eventually left Arsenal by mutual consent and returned to Brazil to rejoin Corinthians.
Willian is currently without a club after leaving Gremio in the summer.
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