How can Arsenal offload Willian on these wages?
Major League Soccer club Inter Miami have pulled the plug on a deal for Arsenal’s Willian, after failing to agree to the player’s wage demands, according to SunSport.
The Arsenal man reportedly wanted around £8.7million a year – £167,000 per week – to play in MLS which was deemed unfeasible by David Beckham’s side.
It is a blow to both Inter Miami’s coach Phil Neville and Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta. While Neville wanted the former Chelsea star to replace Mexican international Rodolfo Pizarro, Arteta was happy to see Willian’s back after an underwhelming season at the Emirates Stadium last campaign.
The MLS side wanted to offload Pizarro to free up a foreign spot, which the former Manchester United and Everton player was hoping to give it to Willian, before his wage demands proved to be the last straw in their pursuit.
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Gonzalo Higuain is the current top earner at Miami, pocketing around £80,500 per week. While Willian was reportedly asking for more than the double of that fee.
Beckham will continue to work with Inter Miami’s board in identifying and recruiting a star name for his team, after seeing Higuain’s struggles with fitness. The Argentine was benched in a match against DC United on 19th June and has already been handed a fitness regime by the club to get back to the desired level.
Offloading Willian makes every bit of sense, financially and from a fan’s perspective too. The 32-year-old made 37 appearances for Arsenal, scoring just one goal.
The most annoying thing about Willian last season was not his poor form, but the reluctance of making a genuine effort in a match. Arsenal cannot waste another season with the Brazilian.
He is not just pocketing a big salary, but he’s also eating up the minutes of Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli.
Thus, a decision on his future should be made as soon as possible.
Yash Bisht