Arsenal: Willian makes stunning £20m transfer decision

Willian Agrees to Waive Remainder of £20m Arsenal Salary

In a quite remarkable turn of events, Willian, who signed a contract his employers offered to him in order to secure his services, will forgo the remainder of his hugely lucrative contract.

As per the ever-reliable Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail, the 33-year-old is ready to walk away from over £20m in wages to secure his Arsenal exit and join Corinthians in his native Brazil.

Earning a hefty weekly salary, Corinthians were struggling to find the means to afford the former Chelsea man but will now be able to tie him down on a heavily reduced salary.

But it’s his decision at Arsenal that is quite remarkable.

Understanding that he doesn’t fit into Arteta’s plans, he would rather leave with his integrity in tact after what was the worst season of his career and avoid entering ugly discussions around a potential pay-off.

In doing so he will leave north London without earning a penny, saving Arsenal an incredible sum of money in the process.

This is backed up by Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol, who states he is an exemplary professional who wants to depart with his head held high having accepted his move hasn’t worked. It’s unheard of in modern football. Especially for someone earning such vast amounts.

However, key to remember is that Willian’s agent is Kia Joorabchian.

Reliable journalists have picked this up, including football.london’s Chris Wheatley, but it does bring an unavoidable sense of scepticism.

Is this exactly what we’re supposed to hear? Very likely. Joorabchian is friends with Edu, after all, and in leaking such info it can almost certainly be with an eye on covering Edu’s tracks, so to speak. It paints his client in a great light and also manages to make Edu appear like a clever negotiator. Somethings usually are too good to be true.

But, you know what? Ignorance is bliss. If we play ball then things seem distinctly brighter. Let us soak up the noise and take it at face value, for our sanity. The end result remains that Willian is leaving before deadline day.

A dreadful signing, but at least a dignified one. Let’s go with that.