Ian Wright is one of the biggest Arsenal legends around, and is still highly involved with goings on at the Emirates, so it was interesting to hear his annoyance at Edu for coming to the defence of new signing Willian, saying that the 32 year-old needs time to settle at the Emirates.
Obviously we all know that Willian has lived in London for most of his career and has played in the Premiership the whole time, so I understand why Wrighty is so annoyed that Edu thinks he needs to settle in.
I’m actually think that Wright’s words would even count as a rant, by the sounds of it! You read this and see what you think…
Ian was speaking on Wrighty’s house Podcast and said: “Can I say something because there’s something I read with Edu, who I was with during the Rapid Vienna game. We had a chat and he’s very energetic.
“But I was very disappointed with something I read with Edu talking about Willian needing time. I can’t have that – and I’d say it to him if I saw him – because we don’t want to be peddling that.
“We’ve brought Willian in to hit the ground running and when he came in I read what you [Edu] said about a player that we need an immediate impact from.
“We’ve signed him for three years, which was very dubious for a lot of people. I went, ‘okay, Willian is good enough, a serial winner, and you look at the experience he brings’.
“To hear, ‘we need to give him more time’… I needed something to squeeze because that’s not why he bought him. Willian needs that chat where someone says, ‘my friend, listen, you’re here to hit the ground running’.
“I’m not throwing him under the bus but I’m trying to explain that Edu cannot come out and say these things when Arsenal are in a position where we’ve signed the player for three years and he needs to hit the ground running.
“It should be a dream move for him but maybe he hasn’t been energised. But he’s come into a dressing room that needs him to be the man.
“Now Edu’s saying he needs time. No, you shouldn’t be saying that. Someone needs to get him in that office and speak to him and say, ‘you’re meant to be doing it now’.”
It does make sense what Wrighty says, Willian is highly experienced and should be a mature voice of reason from the moment he joined the club. Do you think that Edu is defending him because he is a fellow Brazilian that was persuaded to join the Gunners by our technical Director.
There is also the issue of Willian breaking rules to go to Dubai without permission, but avoiding punishment from Arteta which is giving rise to rumours of favouritism towards the 32 year-old.
Is Edu defending Willian because he is feeling nervous that he could have wasted a massive amount of Arsenal money with this signing?