At A Glance:
- Formerly of Arsenal, Willian’s spell at the club was forgetful.
- He moved from Chelsea in the summer of 2020 after seven brilliant seasons in west London.
- Recently, he claimed that family members warned him that moving to the Gunners was the wrong decision.
Former Arsenal winger Willian has opened up about his move from Chelsea to the Gunners in the summer of 2020 and claimed that even his closest family members warned him that it was the wrong move for his career.
The Brazilian – who is now plying his trade in his homeland for Gremio – arrived at the Emirates Stadium in 2020 after a 339-match stint with Chelsea.
He became something of a cult hero at Stamford Bridge, making at least 40 appearances in each of his seven seasons in the west of the capital.
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Willian’s stay in north London, though, was not as memorable as the left winger lasted just one season – 2020/21 – before moving onto pastures new. In his latest revelation, he revealed that he was implored by family members not to join the Gunners.
Incredibly, Willian’s family told him Arsenal move was the wrong decision
Willian, a two-time Premier League winner with the Blues under both Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte – enjoyed plenty of success with the club. That also includes the Europa League, FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.
Less than a week after announcing that his Stamford Bridge days were behind him, he put pen to paper on a three-year deal at their cross-London rivals.
“I wanted a three-year contract and Chelsea were only offering a two-year deal, so I ended up not renewing my contract,” the former winger told HBO Max.
He then claimed that those close to him – including family members – told him that moving from west to north London was a mistake.
“During those negotiations, Arsenal started showing interest. Many people say I should never have left Chelsea, family members as well.
“When I got there, it was a transition period, a lot of players left the club, others came in. I played during the pandemic as well, and that didn’t help. I couldn’t connect to the fans; the stadiums were empty.”
Incredibly, the Brazil international still had two years left to run on his deal when he eventually left the Emirates but it was the right time for him to leave all parties agreed.
The 37-year-old moved back to Brazil and signed for boyhood club Corinthians before returning to the Premier League in the summer of 2022 to join Fulham.
Willian: ‘I wasn’t happy at Arsenal’
This isn’t the first time Willian has described that his Arsenal spell was a flop. Previously speaking to ex-Manchester United and England defender, he claimed: “I wasn’t happy [at Arsenal], I wasn’t happy.
“That’s why I didn’t perform. I don’t want to go into the details. When I arrived there I was happy, from the beginning I was motivated, I wanted to do well – new club, new mates, new project,” he added, per The Metro.
“But after three months, I said to my agent: ‘Please, I want to go’. I don’t want to speak bad about the club, because it is a big club. Arsenal has a big history.
‘In football, big players played there before as well. But it didn’t work, it didn’t work. It was, of course, the most difficult time of my career.”
Willian then claimed that he spoke to his family and agreed that a premature departure made sense for that point in his career. “For me, it’s unfair to stay in a place that you don’t want to stay just because of the money. For me, it was that.”
