willian
Willian moved from Chelsea to Arsenal in the summer of 2020 after spending seven years in west London, despite receiving a contract offer from the Blues.
Chelsea had a policy of offering players in their thirties contracts of no more than two years. That policy remained unchanged regardless of whether a player was still performing well, as the club no longer viewed players in that age group as guarantees.
However, it was Mikel Arteta’s first summer at Arsenal, and he wanted to create a balance between experience and emerging talent. The Gunners also had to be careful with their spending because Arteta did not have a large budget at the time.
Arsenal convinced Willian to move to the Emirates and offered him a three year contract, which was longer than the deal Chelsea was prepared to give the Brazilian. His spell with the Gunners began positively.
Arteta made a major promise
Arteta reportedly promised to build the Arsenal team around Willian, but it soon became clear that the winger was approaching the end of his playing career. The decision quickly appeared to have been a mistake for both the player and the club.
Willian was released a year later, and he has now discussed the move to north London. Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, as quoted by Caught Offside, he revealed what Arteta promised him:
“I met Arteta, I met everyone there. And they said ‘we want you to be the main guy’. Arteta said to me: ‘We’re going to play like this and I want you to be the main guy, I will build the team around you, I want to give you the key to the club’.
“When I heard that, obviously I love Chelsea but I was in the last year of my contract, I was 32, and I was thinking three more years in London, stay with my family in London, they love London. And then I decided.
“To be honest I should have stayed but at that moment I was thinking maybe the best solution is to go there, and I signed for three years there but it was not good.”
(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Willian regrets leaving Chelsea
Willian’s comments suggest that Arsenal’s long-term promise influenced his decision. However, the move did not develop as he expected, and he now believes remaining at Chelsea would have been the better choice.
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