Willian opens up on his time at Arsenal and his odd exit

Mikel Arteta signed Willian in 2020 as the Gunners wanted a more experienced player, but the Brazilian’s tenure in north London was underwhelming.

When the Gunners signed Willian, many fans thought it was a shrewd acquisition. He was a free agent who boasted Premier League experience and was seen as a player who could add some firepower to Arsenal’s attack.

But as we know, his time in north London was anything but good. He played 37 games for the Gunners, scoring just once. Willian’s performances were often dismal and his time with Arsenal ended with a termination of his contract with two years remaining on his deal.

Willian opens up on his time at Arsenal and his odd exit

In a recent interview with The Athletic, the 34-year-old has given an insight into why he decided to leave the club with two years remaining on his deal, and in turn, saving Arsenal a lot of money on his huge wages.

"“I think I’m maybe the only player who has done something like this [cancelled contract early]. Any other player in my situation would have stayed until the end of the contract and kept picking up the money.“But I’m not like this. Money is not the most important thing in the world. I have to feel good, to feel motivated to go to training. I wasn’t having that there so I decided to leave.”“For most of the season, we were playing without fans. I didn’t see Arsenal fans. Maybe I needed to feel the buzz of the crowd, that it was something I missed. It was a difficult moment not just for me, but for everyone in the world. To play without fans at a new club is not easy.”"

It wasn’t a good fit from the outset for the winger. Arsenal thought they were getting the game breaker that starred for Chelsea for all those years, but instead, the club got a shadow of the Brazilian’s former self.

His assists on debut against Fulham led us to believe that the signing would be a difference maker, but that quickly fizzled out.

Despite all the failures on the pitch during his time in north London, many fans have good memories of the Brazilian as he terminated his contract with the club two years early and costing himself millions.

He knew his heart wasn’t in it and did not simply pick up the paycheck each week. Something that other footballers do.

Now back in the Premier League with Fulham, the winger will hope that he can rediscover the form that saw him emerge as one of the most damaging wingers in the league. Let’s just hope his Arsenal self returns for when the Cottagers take on the Gunners in 2023.