Willian: I Made a Big Mistake Leaving Chelsea for Arsenal

Former Arsenal winger Willian has admitted that he made a ‘big mistake’ leaving Chelsea for Arsenal in 2020, revealing that promises made to him by Mikel Arteta failed to materialise.

Willian joined Arsenal on a free transfer in August 2020 after Chelsea offered him a two-year contract, while the Gunners were willing to give him the three-year deal he wanted.

The Brazilian, who was 32 at the time, said Arteta convinced him to move to the Emirates by promising to make him a central figure in the team.

‘I met Arteta, I met everyone there. And they said, ‘We want you to be the main guy,’’ Willian said on The Obi One Podcast.

‘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.’’

However, Willian said his Arsenal experience quickly turned sour and admitted that he regretted leaving Chelsea.

‘To be honest, I should have stayed but at that moment I was thinking maybe the best solution is to go there,’ he said. ‘And I signed for three years there but it was not good.’

Willian revealed that he became frustrated within three months of joining Arsenal and even told his agent that he wanted to leave.

‘I got frustrated,’ he said. ‘I am not saying it is their fault, but when you hear a lot of things and then you join the club, things that are not the same as what they told me, I got frustrated straight away.

‘Three months later I said to my agent I want to leave, and that I made a big mistake leaving Chelsea.’

The Brazilian said his disappointment affected his performances because he was unhappy with the situation at Arsenal.

‘It was more due to what I heard. I got frustrated from that because when I was there I saw some situations that I said to myself, it’s not going to change,’ he added.

‘But it didn’t work and because of that I couldn’t play well or perform because I wasn’t happy. When you are not happy you cannot perform. Money cannot buy happiness. It was the best contract of my life there, but I wasn’t happy.’

Willian made 37 appearances for Arsenal during his brief spell at the club, scoring just once before leaving after one season.