Arsenal: Willian makes stunning £20m transfer decision

Watching the disaster that was Manchester City away on Saturday left numerous emotions bubbling away in the back of the mind that will sit and fester across the international break.

Mikel Arteta finds himself under immense scrutiny with the calls for his sacking starting to utter from even his most staunch supporters. Overseeing a gutless performance bereft of any character or structure and with mistakes galore has made his position in the dugout fraught with danger.

All positives evaporated within seven minutes as abject defending only had to wait for the first Man City attack to announce itself for the remainder of the fixture. Defeat was always on the cards, yet it was how the team succumbed to it that left lasting scars.

The focus shifted to those not at the standard required as opposed to those who can lead this club forward. Defence stood out and amid the horror, the lack of mention for Willian was notable.

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Arsenal: Willian makes stunning £20m transfer decision as Mikel Arteta tries to move Brazilian on in summer window to Corinthians

Not part of any squad in the latter stages of pre-season and the Premier League for various reasons, his absence wasn’t missed. The richly experienced Brazilian’s signing has been an unmitigated disaster. One of Arteta’s great errors from his time in charge.

Embarking on one of the most remarkable drop offs in form of any player in the division from season to season, his heralded acquisition became a burden, not a bonus. Earning far beyond his worth and set to stew in the reserves for the remaining two years of his contract, it looked set to be another agonising and expensive error.

So, as it emerged all parties wanted to cut ties and Corinthians were willing to take him on this summer, there was widespread celebration: wages gone, squad reduced and no ‘replacement’ needed.

Naturally, for a player of his expense, how much this would cost Arsenal remained to be seen. The club were willing to let him leave without a transfer fee so long as the bulk of his salary would be off the books.

He has no place in the squad, let alone the side, with enough forward talent on the books to manage the three competitions that Arsenal would be partaking in this season. Seeing the likes of Mesut Ozil before have to be paid off for six months – which, after all, is their contractual earnings and money they’re entitled to – meant this wouldn’t be a simple departure.

Apparently not. Willian has done something quite unprecedented.

Continued…