Willian’s time at Arsenal was nothing short of a disaster.
The Brazilian arrived on a free transfer after leaving Chelsea, and there were high expectations of him. However, things never quite worked out for him at the Emirates Stadium.
Willian struggled to make an impact, scoring one goal in 37 games, and he eventually left the club after just one season.
Now, the Chelsea icon has opened up on that difficult period and has pointed the finger at Mikel Arteta.
Who was Edu Gaspar’s worst signing at Arsenal? Willian, Raheem Sterling or someone else?
Willian says Mikel Arteta’s style did not work for him at Arsenal
Willian arrived at Arsenal as an experienced Premier League winner, and he was expected to add quality and leadership to the squad.
However, the attacker failed to deliver and quickly found himself out of favour.
Willian agreed to rip up his contract after just one season and returned to Brazil, leaving millions on the table. He deserves a lot of praise for that, but now, the Brazilian has suggested that his struggles were all down to Arteta’s management.
Speaking about his time at Arsenal, Willian told HBO Max: “Arteta as a manager on the pitch, I felt he had some interesting ideas, but as a manager, personally, it didn’t work for me.
“His managerial style didn’t work for me, so after three months I already wanted to leave the club.”
That is very interesting, but we’re sure Arsenal fans will not agree with that assessment because of how Arteta has transformed the club in recent years.
Mikel Arteta has proven that he was not the problem at Arsenal
If Arteta had truly been the problem, Arsenal would be nowhere near where they are today.
The Gunners are among the best teams in the world now and are the favourites to win the Premier League and the Champions League.
That transformation has been driven by Arteta’s management, and it is clear to see that all the players have bought into his ideas.
Willian, on the other hand, failed to adapt despite all of his experience in English football. He just did not produce the level of performance required, and that is down to him.
To now point the finger at Arteta just doesn’t feel right, but Arsenal won’t care because they are now in a much better place without the Brazilian.
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