‘I wasn’t happy there’ – Willian slams Arsenal as he admits he walked away from £20m to escape after Chelsea transfer
Posted Friday, February 04, 2022 by Thesun.co.uk
WILLIAN has revealed he was unhappy at Arsenal and had to leave last summer for his own well-being.
The winger, 33, expressed his lack of satisfaction at the club after last season's campaign did not go according to plan.
Willian's year at Arsenal did not go to plan and he wanted to leave after just three months
Willian was initially a key part of Mikel Arteta's squad after signing on a free but it took him until May to score a goal.
He then ripped up his contract last summer before signing for Corinthians in his native Brazil.
In an interview with FourFourTwo Willian said: "I wasn’t happy there, and when you’re not happy in a place, it doesn’t matter how much you try – you’re not going to be able to deliver what people expect of you.
"We had a great project and believed that it would work out, but it didn’t, and so I chose to leave and do what was best for me.
"I wasn’t happy, and that’s an important factor in a footballer’s life. When you’re feeling like that, there’s really no way you’re going to perform well, unfortunately.
"There are moments in life when the money isn’t so important and you need to focus on what makes you happy; to look for a place where you have some pleasure working.
"That’s something I didn’t have there, and staying only for the money isn’t something I’m capable of doing – there are many other things that come first for me.
"I thought to myself that I couldn’t stay just because of a contract – after all, if I did, where would my motivation, my pleasure and my well-being go?
"So that’s what I had in mind. Everybody saw what I left behind in order to pursue my happiness again."
Willian's bad form in North London might be explained by the fact he wanted to leave the club after just three months.
He refused to reveal what made him unhappy in a previous interview but did praise the size of the club and the project in place under Arteta.
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