Former Arsenal winger Willian has labelled his 2020 move to the club a "big mistake" driven by money and unfulfilled promises from manager Mikel Arteta. The Brazilian, now 38 and without a club, spent just one season in North London before returning to Brazil.
Willian joined Arsenal on a free transfer in August 2020 after seven successful years at Chelsea, turning down a two-year offer from the Blues to sign a three-year contract reportedly worth £220,000 a week. He was 32 at the time. "I met Arteta, I met everyone there," Willian said. "And they said 'we want you to be the main guy'."
The reality fell short of that vision. Willian made 37 appearances in the 2020/21 season, scoring once and providing seven assists in over 2000 minutes of action. Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League that campaign. The player said his frustration began just three months after his arrival. "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," he admitted.
He told his agent he wanted to leave, calling the decision a major error. Willian stressed his unhappiness was not a reflection of Arteta's coaching ability but of broken promises and a perceived lack of human management. "Money cannot buy happiness," he said. "It was the best contract of my life there, but I wasn't happy." He left after that single season, rejoining his boyhood club Corinthians.
The club's trajectory has shifted significantly since Willian's departure. Under Arteta, Arsenal now sit second in the Premier League with 12 points from five games, just three points behind leaders Manchester City. Their recent form reads four wins and one defeat from their last five matches, though they suffered a 3-0 loss at Brighton in their most recent outing. They host fifth-placed Leeds United next in a key fixture at the Emirates Stadium.
Willian's stint serves as a notable footnote in a period of transition for Arsenal, which has since been rebuilt into a title-challenging side. The winger, who won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the Europa League and the Carabao Cup during his time at Chelsea, maintains he has nothing against Arteta as a coach. His departure opened a path for other attacking players to emerge within Arteta's evolving system, which currently features Bukayo Saka as the team's top scorer this season with three goals. The full current squad list shows the depth now available to the manager.
More detail at Daily Mirror Football
