Chelsea superstar Willian has confirmed he will be leaving Stamford Bridge this summer amid speculations linking him to a move to Arsenal.
Following an embarrassing defeat to Bayern Munich, Chelsea have suffered yet another blow as Willian has announced on social media that he will be leaving the club this summer. He addressed an open letter to the fans, thanking them for the support and the fact that he won’t be prolonging his stay at Stamford Bridge.
“I am really grateful to the Chelsea fans for the affectionate way they welcomed me at Stamford Bridge and their support throughout my time at the club”, Willian wrote in the letter.
The Brazilian did also specify that he is now ready to take the next step in his career, stating, “the time has now come to move on. I am certainly going to miss my team-mates. I will miss all the staff at the club who’ve always treated me like a son and I will miss the fans. I leave with my head held high, safe in the knowledge that I won things here and always did my best in a Chelsea shirt!”
The announcement comes just days after the winger was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea’s cross-town rivals, Arsenal. It comes as no surprise either as the 32-year-old did previously assert his wish to stay in London even if it means he will have to leave his current club.
A move to direct rivals, however, certainly won’t go down well with the fans. However, one might argue that the Blues have now gotten used to it, especially David Luiz did the same last summer – rejecting a stay at Stamford Bridge in favour of a move to Arsenal.
The Brazilian has now enjoyed a decent debut campaign at the Emirates, notably helping the Gunners win the FA Cup. And his compatriot Willian will be looking for a similar start if he does end up joining the north London outfit this summer. As for Arsenal themselves, the addition of the Chelsea star could add some much-needed creativity in the final third.
The Gunners have struggled in terms of creativity, especially with Mesut Ozil failing to live up to his reputation in recent years. The German is now facing an uncertain future at the club after being frozen out of the first-team by Mikel Arteta during the final phase of the campaign.
Willian, in that regard, should provide the Spaniard with some additional reinforcement in the creative unit, although, in fairness, he still has much work left to do as Arsenal look to embark on a new era under their new manager next season.
