Willian is expected to follow his former Chelsea teammate David Luiz out the exit door of the Emirates Stadium. According to the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal ‘are waiting for official bids’ for the Brazilian.
After David Luiz, also Willian is expected to leave Arsenal this summer. ⚪️🔴 #AFC
There’s interest from European clubs and from MLS – Inter Miami wanted him last summer. Arsenal are waiting for official bids. 🇧🇷 #Willian #transfers
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 16, 2021
In his 37 appearances for The Gunners, the 32-year-old has made eight goal involvements. Although statistics are of a huge importance in the modern world, they don’t tell the whole story. Willian’s Arsenal career is the perfect example of that.
The London club’s faithful know that the goal contributions he has made have been nowhere near special. Passing the ball to the opponent who has still much to do does not really count as an a ‘real assist.’
It is May and the league season ends next weekend, but the Brazilian has hardly produced a ‘real assist.’
When the North London outfit were struggling in the first half of the season, there were few players who were being heavily criticized. And fairly too. Willian was one of the names that was top of that list. It did not take long for the Arsenal fans to relate the Brazilian with ‘lack of desire.’
This is a player who was considered the worst signing by the Red and Whites in over a decade.
Inter Miami were interested in the 32-year-old last summer, but eventually Arsenal won the race for his signature. The MLS side are thus likely to rekindle the interest. Reports also suggest that ‘several’ other European clubs are interested in acquiring the services of the former Brazil international, who has made 70 appearances for his national team.
After the reports of Willian possibly leaving the Emirates Stadium emerged, Arsenal fans went into meltdown on social media.
We won at Stamford Bridge for the first time in 9 years and somehow the report of Willian leaving is still the best news I’ve heard all week.
— Patrick Timmons (@PatrickTimmons1) May 16, 2021
When Mikel Arteta said that the club needs to be “ruthless,” many Arsenal fans wondered that whether it was just a PR stunt from the Arsenal manager. However, as the season gradually comes to an end, there have already been a lot of clear movement.
David Luiz is set to leave. Willian is likely to leave. By the end of the summer they can be joined by the likes of Granit Xhaka, Hector Bellerin, Bernd Leno, Lucas Torreira, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Matteo Guendouzi, Alexander Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah and maybe even more.
If it does happen, this could end up being The Gunners’ biggest squad overhaul in their history!
After a dismal season, that’s what every Arsenal fan would have hoped for.
Arsenal look like they mean business, which has not been the case for countless years.
Yash Bisht
I do believe it was MA who signed Willian, gave him a three year deal and NOW he’s being praised for, supposedly, being ruthless?!?!
The same goes for Luiz of course and, meanwhile, Soares has disappeared.
So it seems that MA is only being “ruthless” with his own signings, while Martinelli sits on the bench and Salibas /Mavs are getting rave reports away from The Emirates… funny old game.
Unbelievable, Ken, it really is!!!
Well said Ken, ridiculous
Let’s see if these reviews are a reality.
If these clubs can offer us £25 million + for the likes of Saliba and Mav then I will believe that it’s not just words.
You know how overly hyped people can get about any given player. Right?
They will just keeping assuring everyone how amazing that player is no matter what.
It’s some sort of celebrity type of hype. Even Arteta has had amazing hyped reviews since he took over at Arsenal. But I don’t think you take these rave reviews about him seriously just because some keep hyping about him.
If these rave reviews are something to take note of then we should be expecting big money offers for these players come summer.
We will wait.
👍 👍 👍 Agree ken!
“Ruthless” would have been not signing Willian in the first place to a 3 year contract, one year only.
I feel like all my Christmases have come at once!!
Note to MA/Edu:
No more bargain basement shopping in West London! Over 30s – proceed with caution 🤣
It really is astonishing the money we’re still wasting!!
Clear out all those expensive lazy ass ‘experienced’ players and replace them by youngsters. I mean what’s the worse that could happen at this stage we are already a mid table team and there will always be at least 3 teams worse than us so the only way is up right… right??
please say right
I agree with more of a clear out but… We have lots of youngsters available already but many don’t get game time as is….so we had the ability to do this already but we dont
I’d love to say right, Ackshay…..
Didn’t we have the biggest clear out for years last summer and bought Willian in. We have a clear out every season recently and we just dont get better. I dint see anything happening that will be different this summer. Players out, players in and the same manager making the same mistakes because he isnt up to managing Arsenal.
👍 Rinse and repeat, Reggie!!
I’ve been saying this for a while. Arteta with Edu packing the club with aged brazilians has been running rings around me. Martineli ignored, Balogun doesn’t even get to be on bench. Saliba who all french pundits rave on about. Mavropanos is happy to remain in Germany where Mislintat continuously sing his name. Then you hear the problems our defence causes and forwards who can’t hit a barn door.
Are we really so stupid for MA to tell us porkies and expect to get away with it?
Could be a PR stunt when he says “Ruthless”. He was the one who signed Willain after all
However, I hope MA will be ruthless, not just in selling but signing too, if he stays
At least Everton are losing
A list of the top 10 blunders by our rookie- manager:
1. wasting 30M on Willian and thereby stunting the growth and development of our young forwards, when it was clear to everyone that 10 position was the team’s weak spot;
2. playing an experimental false 9 for the first time in the Europa semi-final;
3. giving up on the FA cup when he played a weakened team against Southampton;
4. forcing Saliba out on loan with a reported pay-cut;
5. over-reliance on consistently poor performers – Willian and N’ketiah;
6. poor in-game substitutions;
7. mis-management of academy players – Martinelli, ANM;
8. signing Runnarson;
9. forcing a style of play not suited to the skills and technical abilities of players;
10. slow, boring and un-attractive football.
The losses to the club from this Arteta experiment could be significant. (Losses from Europe and commercial deals not included).
It’s difficult to imagine how we would find a way to offload such an overpaid and underperforming player, especially at this juncture of his career…let’s face it, the fact that he chose to accept our previous offer likely means it was vastly better than any other he received, so why would anyone think that any previously interested team would up the ante on the heels of that piss-poor season…regardless of that, it’s clear that this manager is willing to say just about anything to advance his cause…in fact, the more he talks the less I tend to listen…ever since his short-sighted retool plan went awry, he’s spent far too much time spewing nonsense about the very long-term plan he bailed on when it counted most…gaining my trust again won’t be easy for this manager and it certainly won’t be earned with his words alone
Willian is our worst signing for years Worst since OZIL IN FACT. Both lack any guts and any desire to earm their obscene wages and are a total waste of space. Ozil was Wengers folly; Willian is Artetas mistake.
Get rid of Willian and admit your error MA! Dont let him hang around uselessly draining us financially for zero return. Ozil did have at least one top season before “taking to his armchair” on match days for years and faking sickies.
I still think we should have prosecuted OZIL IN COURT FOR NOT HONOURING THE FULL TERMS OF HIS CONTRACT BY CLEARLY GIVING UP ON THE PITCH. There was ample evidence to prove our case.
A wonderful try at deflection Jon!!!
Ozil has gone, so why keep regurgitating the same old story?
MA is the man who is now in the chair and I would expect that you would have shown the same feelings towards him as you have for Ozil… just be “ruthless”.
Facts tell us that Ozil is not the worst signing until he was push aside by new managers who don’t think he fit into their plans.
He is much better than Willian if we comparing 1st season of each player.
How’s Ozil faring at Fenerbahce,the Club he loves? Ripping the Turkish league apart is he, on his Arsenal paid subsidised wages.?
Your comment is nothing related to my comparison. Ozil is gone. So, move on.
Özil completed his maiden season at Arsenal with 13 assists and seven goals in all competitions spanning a course of 40 games.
No deflection at all Ken.. JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE DO NOT LET THIS OZIL IMPOSTER REMAIN AS LONG AS THE REAL OZIL. And damage us for as long as the original did. To be clear in case you wonder – but I rather think you do not – I blame MA totally for the huge mistake for bringing in Willian , as my post made clear (“Willian is Artetas mistake”).
But HE has the sense, it seems, to get rid after one diabolical season and not let Willian continue harming us for so many idle, fake injury years, like Wenger did with Ozil, so no deflection there! Just plain speaking as ever, KEN OLD CHUM!
BTW, I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU WILL ENJOY YOUR EMIRATES VISIT FOR BRIGHTON!!!!
Dan Smith, you look like a clown now don’t you? I read this Fabriozio’s tweet this morning, told Grandad who asked and you tried acting a clown
“Passing the ball to the opponent who has still much to do does not really count as an a ‘real assist.’”
Opponent?
MA did not know how to use him well.
He claimed 7 assists and 1 goal in 37 matches (19 starts). Keypasses (1.2 avg per game)and crosses are his only positives. There is no significant difference to Ozil’s game, we ended up paying both wages. I even prefer Ozil, because he had better vision for through passes while Willian had 0 of those and his defensive game is abysmal.
And frankly, you cannot mostly expect much more power, tackles and effort from an above 31 attacking midfield player. It is an age for GK, centerback but not an AM.
He is useful against low defense teams, where you have the possession, and spaces are tight, he can play a maximum of 60 minutes.
The only offer we are likely to get is from a team willing to take him off our hands for nothing as long as we pay 70% of his wages.
This has been a hideous waste of money and was just a PR stunt to save cash at the time.
Trusting our ‘eyes’ tells us Arsenal play atrocious football……who is the coach of that football….Arteta?! Painful, boring, uncreative, micro managed, tethered, with no ‘dance’. The blind leading the blind, conning the supporters. We often play park the bus football, sideways, backward, play the ball out from the back, but mistake ridden, nervous football, and some gullible supporters say Arteta is the man. What a screw up. More stagnation over another year, probably poor signings….who would want to come to Arsenal under the present structure if they were ambitious? It’s a mess. New manager please before we give more contracts to the Chelsea Pensioners.