There was were many Arsenal fans that were very skeptical when Arteta (or Edu) brought in Willian from Chelsea last summer, especially as he was given a three year contract despite his advancing years.
But recently there have been whispering that the Brazilian may be moving on after just one season, after failing dismally to live up to his former glories, with Inter Miami being touted as a possible destination.
It may well be that Arteta and Willian will come to a mutual agreement on the winger’s future, but there is no doubt that the Arsenal fans would rather we cut our losses and freed up his place in the team to give much-needed experience to the younger players in the squad.
But Arteta has spoken out and blamed himself for not getting the best out of Willian this season. Arteta told Arsenal.com: “First of all we signed a player with an incredible talent, a proven talent and performance level in this league, and this season has been difficult and I take full responsibility because I have to be the one getting the best out of him and we had moments, but not to the level that he did before. This is an assessment that we will do individually with the players and with Edu, the board and the ownership to make the right decisions for the future.”
It’s a shame really as Willian was a joy to watch in many games at Chelsea before his departure, and he is unlikely to be missed. Let us hope that his current wage will not be a stumbling block in arranging for his departure in the summer.