Willian has admitted that his 2020 transfer from Chelsea to Arsenal was a major mistake, revealing he asked to leave just three months after signing a three-year deal.
Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, the Brazilian winger said Mikel Arteta convinced him to join by promising a central role and a long-term project built around him.
Willian joined Arsenal on a free transfer in August 2020 after his Chelsea contract expired. Chelsea had only offered a two-year extension due to their age-related policy.
He scored once in 37 appearances for Arsenal before mutually terminating his contract after a single season to rejoin Corinthians in Brazil.
The promises that convinced Willian
Willian explained that Arsenal's pitch, led by Arteta, was highly persuasive. "He said, 'I want you to be the main guy.
We're going to do the team around you. I want to give you the key of the club,'" Willian recalled.
The winger also weighed family stability and contract length.
"I love Chelsea but I was in the last year of my contract, I was 32, and I was thinking three more years in London, stay with my family in London, they love London.
And then I decided."
He acknowledged that the three-year commitment was the best contract of his career financially, but it did not bring him happiness.
Reality falls short at Arsenal
Once inside the club, Willian quickly sensed a different environment. "I have nothing against him," he said of Arteta.
"He's a great coach inside the pitch, his ideas are great but he missed little bits on how to manage the team."
He elaborated that the human aspect of management was lacking. "The human part, he was missing it.
It's important, but inside the pitch he is good. I always joke they sold me a dream and it wasn't a good dream."
The gap between expectations and reality frustrated him immediately.
"When you heard a lot of things and then you join the club, things that are not the same as what they told me, I got frustrated straight away."
Three months later, he contacted his agent to seek an exit.
"I said to my agent I want to leave, and that I made a big mistake leaving Chelsea."
His unhappiness affected his performances. "It didn't work and because of that I couldn't play well or perform because I wasn't happy.
When you are not happy you cannot perform."
He ultimately chose to forgo financial gain for his well-being. "Money cannot buy happiness.
It was the best contract of my life there, but I wasn't happy."
Reflecting on the ordeal, Willian admitted he misjudged the situation. "I should have stayed.
But at that moment I was thinking maybe the best solution is to go there."
He also noted that he saw situations at Arsenal that convinced him things would not change.
"When I was there, I was seeing some situations that I said to myself is not going to change."
After leaving Arsenal, Willian returned to Corinthians, then had a spell at Fulham in 2022 before becoming a free agent in August 2026 after leaving Gremio.
