Willian has opened up on his decision to terminate his contract and leave Arsenal for Brazilian club Corinthians in the summer transfer window.
Speaking to TV Corinthians, as relayed by TEAMtalk, Willian has shed light on his decision to leave Arsenal and return to his homeland just a year after arriving at the Emirates Stadium.
Willian arrived at Arsenal only last year, signing on free transfer after his contract with London rivals Chelsea had run out. The Brazilian was handed a bumper contract for three years by the Gunners and things looked promising after a fine debut against Fulham, when he put in a Man of the Match display.
Things, however, went only downhill from thereon as Willian struggled to contribute meaningfully to the team and eventually became a fringe player for Mikel Arteta. When he did play, the 33-year-old was nowhere near the level required and was at the receiving end of a lot of criticism from fans and pundits.
Eventually, Willian decided to take matters into his own hands and terminate his contract with the north London giants, which meant he potentially saved £20 million for the club by doing so. Having ended his association with Arsenal, the ex-Chelsea star returned to homeland Brazil, signing for boyhood club Corinthians.
"Unfortunately, my time at Arsenal was not good." ?
Willian explains why he returned to Brazil ??pic.twitter.com/F6KhwZZkm2
— Goal Asia (@Goal_Asia_) September 7, 2021
Speaking out on his decision to leave Arsenal, Willian has now said: “I really thought a lot, together with my family and close people. Unfortunately, my time at Arsenal was not good, I wasn’t happy at the club. I don’t need to go into details, but I wasn’t happy and I thought that returning to Brazil was the best option.
“I studied some other opportunities, but I wanted to return to Corinthians, to my home, to be close to my family. It’s the club that projected me to the world, revealed me. The right time to come back was this.”
Willian left Arsenal after making 37 appearances across all competitions, in which he produced a tally of one goal and seven assists. The Gunners’ sporting director, Edu, recently admitted in an interview that the move did not work out as planned for the club or the player. Safe to say, the parting of ways was the best decision for all parties involved.
