Reports this afternoon suggest that Willian has turned down a two year contract offer from Chelsea, sparking increased speculation about the possibility of him joining Arsenal.
He has been linked with the Gunners for some time now, not least because of the strong links between his agent Kia Joorabchian, and our Head of Football Raul Sanllehi, and Technical Director Edu.
David Luiz and Cedric Soares are clients of his already at the club, and Willian’s availability on a free transfer from our London rivals makes this a convenient deal given those relationships.
The question is: is it a wise move? While the Brazilian is certainly a good player, he turns 32 next week, and would command a hefty salary, plus signing on fee, plus intermediary fees.
With the club already struggling to shift players on big wages, is it the best use of limited resources to pour big money into someone with no resale value whatsoever, and who is holding out for a three year contract?
He could potentially have a short-term impact, but what happens if, in 12-18 months time, the sands of time catch up with him and we have another player we are going to struggle to part ways with? It’s a situation Arsenal have had to deal with too often, and an inability or unwillingness to learn from previous, or even ongoing scenarios, is a bit of a worry.
Arsenal have also been linked heavily with a move for another Joorabchian client, Philippe Coutinho, a player who cost Bayern Munich over €20m in fees and wages for a season long loan deal from Barcelona.
Arseblog News understands that discussions between all parties are almost complete, with Chelsea boss Frank Lampard resigned to the fact Willian will be leaving Stamford Bridge.
Willian missed the FA Cup final on Saturday due to injury. Arsenal won it 2-1, and Olivier Giroud screamed.
Our Poo-O-Meter is in action, and sees this one as a distinct possibility.
Check out the FA Cup winning Arsecast Extra
We have enough wingers imo. We need midfielders or a CB .. don’t understand this at all.
I would have preferred a 28yo Coutinho given our squad balance.
However, Willian is a class act with every skill in his locker and complete prem experience. I really think it might just be what we need short-term to bump us up to the CL.
But please, no more than 2 year deal.. by then Saka and Martinelli should be right in the mix.
If you look at the current vector of signings, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we chase exclusively free agents and / or loan deals. Both Mari and Soares are super cheap deals and Coutinho and Willian will undoubtedly be on Arsenal’s radar.
Let’s face it, Stan is going to go big again and there doesn’t seem to be too many rumours linking our fringe players with moves away, freeing up vital resources. I could see this summer being a bargain bin grab as apposed to a “war chest”.
Yes, but we still don’t need a winger, any winger, let alone a very expensive ageing winger. We have far more important things to do than buy an expensive player to keep Pepe and Nelson out of the team, unless they intend to use him in midfield? In which case there are more suitable players out there.
If Auba goes we ABSOLUTELY need a winger. I hope this isn’t a sign. I agree though we need midfielders. Especially with our best midfielder leaving (Ceballos – let’s hope he comes back – and yes he is our best midfielder. Xhaka plays a role controlling big teams, but he is a major contributor why we cannot control weaker teams).
it’s not an either or, willian or coutinho.
not sure why anyone would assume this? c’mon..
It’s an either-or because of the wages.
Do you see Willian, Coutinho, Ozil and a new Auba contract at the club next season?
C’mon.
If we can get some good players on free transfers or loans, then we have to invest more into their wages.
it’s just a different way of investment in players, but all the same we have to spend money to bring people in
I disagree completely. I feel the Kronkes will back Arteta strongly in the market this summer. Therefore I think a window in which we see willian, partey, coutinho and ceballos come in the latter 2 on loan.
Not because he cares about us but because you don’t spend 3+ billion buying a football club to let it fall into mid table earning you half the money it used too. We’ll go big in the market, but we have to get it right cause if we don’t I doubt we’ll get the backing again.
Yeh I remember Denilson recommending Willian all those years ago, saying “He was the best player to come out of Brazil at the time”. I don’t trust Denilson anymore.
Martinelli and Saka are right in the mix now. Saka was involved in 15 goals (4 goals, 11 assists) in 39 games and Martinelli in 14 (10 goals, 4 assists) in 26 games.
William has contributed to 20 goals (scored 11, assisted 9) in 47 games. Quite similar stats. But he won’t get better but the other 2 surely will. Plus he’ll cost more in wages than those 2 together. Makes no sense at all to me.
Man city scored 100 goals between the squad !, All three players mentioned above, can all be in the squad and on pitch
It’s not like these are our only forwards. There’s Auba, Laca, Pepe, Nketiah and Nelson. And even Man City with it’s monstrous squad doesn’t have 8 forwards, although it would’t by far be such a problem for them considering the wages as it would be for us. In Auba, Laca and Pepe you got 3 top class senior players and in Martinelli, Saka, Nelson and Eddie 4 really talented guys who all have shown that they could become quite good on the big stage already. Don’t see the need to add to that department, considering our current midfield consists of… Read more »
Willian can play as a 10 and at CM, though I’d be a bit surprised if we were signing him for that position given we could get a specialist instead. One possibility is that Arteta wants to move Aubameyang central and Willian would then play on the left.
saka and martinelli for the left. you are correct about willian for midfield.
ceballos probably not coming back, willian will be great
he’s not really a winger anymore…instead of a 10/winger, he’s going to become more of a 10/8…i see him filling a role closer to david silva or santi cazorla as he ages…
definitely not seen as a winger anymore though
Aubameyang, Saka, Pepe, Nelson, Martinelli, Smith-Rowe. Signing Willian isn’t progress, it’s essentially ending the chances of any of our younger wingers getting game time next season and eating up a wage budget that could be much better used elsewhere.
It depends. If we lose Auba and /or Laca and/or Pepe…
I dont like the scenario but luckily I dont call the shots…
Could potentially be swapping 1 left winger whose 31 years old for another left winger whose 31 years old whilst also leaving money to buy a striker. Only reason I see this transfer happening is to replace some goals that Auba leaving might do from out wide.
We would then surely need a 20+ goal a year striker though…
Either that or David Luiz has put in the hard word for Willian
Is it your money?
I think it isn’t necessarily a bad idea, if the wages are acceptable. We have some amazing talent on our hands, but a lot of the guys are still very young and the step to the highest order is huge. Maybe 3 years of Willian could prove to be an extremely benefiting for all parties involved. I always rated him highly, and if he doesn’t have a big drop in performance, he could really be a useful tool in our rebuild.
A lot of ifs, I know.
Concerning if true. No doubt he’s a good player today and might improve us, but at the end of a 3-year deal he’ll be close to 35 (34 until then because that’s how it works). I don’t think he’ll be doing a great deal to improve us at that age. If his wages are marked down to reflect that, it could be OK, I guess. Meh signing overall.
The only way I could see this working is if Arteta has seen in Willian the prospect of an attacking, ball carrying midfielder. There’s no point adding a winger, we have Nelson and Saka waiting in the wings and Martinelli also pushing in these positions.
We need to get players like this off our wage bill, I really don’t understand why adding another is going to help. Strange one. Not keen.
Absolutely, I don’t see how he fits into the team.
We need some genuine midfielders, really ones – two will be good.
Alternatively, if Arteta sees Saka playing more minutes in the center this could bolster the wide area. But that would be a stretch, seeing as Saka didn’t grow up playing there, so it would be weird to make an expensive signing based on that bet.
If we are genuinely trying to model our policy with Liverpool’s success, we have to ask if this is a signing they would have made 4 years ago. And the answer is a big NO. However, I suspect we might end up signing him for 2 years with a possibility of the one year extension(which makes sense) as long as he is not on exorbitant wages and a decent signing fee which he may not be entitled to if he decided to carry on with Chelsea. And who would want to play under clueless Fat Frank anyway. A decent signing… Read more »
Needless disrespect given to Olivier Giroud. We won the cup, we’re the Arsenal. Show a bit of class especially to one of our former players who’s not had a bad word to say about the club.
Also, big no to Willian. We’ve got enough creative wide players.
Wasn’t Giroud trolling Arsenal after their Europa win last year?
Just saw it. My bad. He said “thank you, Arsenal.”
Well, thank you Giroud.
I still agree with your first comment, we are the arsenal, show some class. Giroud was excellent for us when he was with us and since we won saturday ill just focus on the positives he brought to this club. “Thank you arsenal” is not that bad, stop being sensitive.. it was the right move to move on from Giroud but damn i miss those sweet touches he had (like his assist saturday)
I just meant I can understand where the fans come from, then. Even giroud had the option to stay respectful. But yeah, Arsenal as a football club pride themselves on class. The fans often don’t follow suit. We need to be better.
“Stop being sensitive” he says, weeping because other Gooners don’t love Giroud the way he does
Oh please. OG12 was always one of the fan faves, but the remark after Baku was what’s classless lol. A striker who is undoubtedly very good but he’s not been excellent for us lets be real. You forget his long goal droughts and he never went above 20 goals a season and still people say he’s better than Laca.
And why do we have to bring in dross like Willian in? I’d rather keep Laca and invest in another CM. I think the Gabriel Magalhaes (CB) deal might come through for us though
Top post, totally agree. Whilst Ollie’s dying swan act at Wembley was hilarious, let’s not forget that during his time with us, he achieved a not in reasonable amount of success with three FA Cups and 105 goals in 253 games; not a bad return at all. Acting antics aside – he’s also a good lad. I wish him well and am thankful for what he did for Arsenal.
Totally agree, thumb up.
Needless disrespect? Oh jeezus, lighten up! Have you watched the clip of him screaming and falling after being touched by Luiz? It’s f’in hilarious!
Giroud always loved a good writhe around on the floor in agony moment. Wouldn’t have wanted it any other way though.
More deals with shady agents. That’s the Raul way. Don’t expect anything better from Kroenke’s incompetent executives.
Personally, I like Raul.
He may be a swamp creature, but he’s our swamp creature
People like him only work for themselves
Yeah Raul was only working for himself when he signed Tierney, Ceballos and Pepe… who helped Arsenal win #14.
What a selfish, selfish man
The problem is he seems to be Kia’s swamp creature.
Unfortunately it’s more deals with the same shady agent! That’s the problem
Time and time again, we’ve seen others benefit from relationships with individuals, clubs or nations. As they say, it’s who you know. Luiz is probably our best defender, Soares had a debut and a half, pushed AMN, and is a natural full back who accepts the HB2 challenge. I’ll take Willian LW RW CAM, cos I don’t particularly enjoy it when he plays against us. He carried Chelsea when Hazard and co dropped tools. Able professional. Mental strenff. Martinez Leno Tierney Saka AMN Kola Bellerin Soares AMN Luiz Holding Mari Mustafi Sokratis Chambers Ceballos Xhaka Willock Torreira Guendouzi Ozil ESR… Read more »
Luiz being our best defender speaks to the quality of the job Raul’s done. Soares is too expensive for what he is and has a ridiculously long contract for a backup player at his age. Guys like him are a dime a dozen, no need to lock them up. Willian is too old, too expensive, and his contract will be too long. Most importantly, he’s not going to be part of the rebuild everyone agrees we’re in the middle of. For every Chelski cast-off we give 200 grand a week to, we could have had a prospect, possibly more than… Read more »
This is nuts
Torn on this. I’d be happy with a years contract, even on big wages, as I think he’s a great player and gives Nelson, Saka etc an extra year of development time. But presumably he’s not going to accept that if he’s turned down 2 years with Chelsea.. I’ll be fuming if we go and give him a 3 year contract as inevitably we’ll be flashing some thigh at Roma or the like in 18 months time to get his wages off the books.
if there’s no massive sign on bonus then I think in 18 months clubs in the MLS would be knocking on the door to take his wages off our books.
Hes been a decent household name in the premier league.
I also love the fact that he flew over to London to sign for spurs and ended up signing for chelsea on the back of spurs paid flight.
Who knows maybe the Rapids will take him in 18 months time off our hands and Kroenke won’t be out a cent.
May not be a popular opinion, but Willian is piss poor at decision making on the ball. His end product has dried up significantly to add to that. Watching him make poor decisions in the final third makes you want to gouge your eyes out. 32 year old. Will demand a 3 year contract at around 150k. FUCK NO!!! We’re watching you Raul. Why the fuck should we buy more old Chelsea rejects. KIA can fuck off as well.
If 11 goals and 9 assists is dried up, then I have no idea what that means for our current players, especially the 72 million Pepe.
It was Pepes first season in a new league (with 3 different coaches), give him a break. And watch him shine next season.
Willian needed 163 minutes to give an assist or score a goal this season…
Pepe needed 183.
I think they are basically at the same level today.
The main difference between them are the 7 years that are behind Willian and ahead of Pepe.
With those stats, Willian on one wing, and Pepe on the other and you’ve got yourself a goal a game between them. Add Auba into the mix and you’re probably averaging 1.75 goals a game across a season, that’ll alone might raise us a couple of places up the table.
I’m not expressing an opinion about Willian, but anyone who watched our last few matches should be able to see how good Pepe is likely to be next season. (Only “likely” because nothing is sure.) Stop worrying about stats, and use your eyes: He has amazing pace, great technical ability, can dribble past defenders easily (no, he can’t dribble past three as he sometimes tried early on), moves intelligently without the ball, and has a wonderful shot. I believe Arteta will turn him into a star.
Since I posted this, I watched Adrian Clarke’s analysis of the Cup final. He thought Pepe was man of the match.
He’s a great player and my heart says sign him up! But then the head kicks in and it does feel like a short term gain for long term pain.
Depends how much impact he can have in one season. If he plays an integral part in getting us CL football next season, he’ll be worth the sign on/broker/salary fees for sure.
Tricky one, but I say go for it. He’s a next level player, hugely experienced and may well help convince Auba to stay
Pepe, Saka, Martinelli, Nelson. Yeah we sure need another winger. For the love of God, no.
of course, somebody has to make sure Joorabchians family don’t starve.
#PrayforKia.
Wow after such a high from the weekend, the board knows how to bring us back to earth.
Have they not learnt anything from Ozil or previous deals.
This is bad
What they’ve learned is that there are no consequences for failure.
Seems like the difference between this signing and Cech is that Chelsea actually want to keep Willian. I can see some sense in having a player like Willian, who has been there and done it, and who can mentor our exciting younger players without threatening their progress in the squad without having to pay a fee for him. That said, it depends how much wages he is asking for. We shouldn’t be offering him immense wages/signing on fee just because he is coming on a free – we should try and get him at around his current wages which I… Read more »
Exactly, he’s the one who wants to stay in Lonson, he needs us more than we need him. But watch us give him a massive three year contract.
I don’t think this is nuts. I think he’s a hell of a player who never shows a lack of motivation. When he has the ball, you get the feeling that anything can happen.
Don’t see the point.
Aubameyang is the default starter on the left and Pepe looks like the man on the right. You then have Saka, Martinelli (to return in 6 months), ESR and Nelson in rotation. Unless you’re selling one or two of them (realistically only ESR and/or Nelson) then Willian is not needed.
Unless the plan is to deploy him from the no.10 role I am vehemently against this.
Unfortunately Aubameyang is not by default Arsenal player next season…
Sniff sniff 🙁
If this goes ahead our nickname will change to the Chelsea pensioners. Hopefully Arsenal just being used as bargaining chip for a European side.
Though one of our pensioners was good enough to start the FA Cup final for Chelsea.
It’s a really sad trend but this is due to the endless money they spend and the ruthlessness with players.
Cech was declining but still top.
Luiz is declining but top ball playing …”””””defender””””
Willian is still sharp I dont for how long.
Bottom line is if we finish above them with “their” pensioners wouldn’t it be awesome?
One man’s garbage other man’s treasure
We should care about results.
Ozil and Miki are only two occasions
Willian could be good for 1 year. After that his legs will go even more than they already have. He wants one big pay off on a nice tidy contract to add to the retirement fund. A 3 year deal for any attacking player his age is just mad. Plus, do we even need another winger? Aubameyang and Pepe are currently our first choices. Saka and Nelson provide great back up. Martinelli will come back in the second half of 2021 and add to that. As will Smith-Rowe returning from loan if he doesn’t play more centrally. Or, has Arteta… Read more »
If and I accept that’s a big IF Willian is a player that Arteta wants, then surely we should all be backing it. From everything I’ve read and heard from Arteta and Edu the manager gets final say on any player brought in. Therefore, I cannot believe that Arteta does not want him if he does sign.
Few of us wanted Arteta to play Mustafi or Xhaka or Luiz. He did it anyway.
Whatever the fanbase thinks, Arteta is gonna do things his way, and we all need to get used to that.
What problem does signing him solve and for how long? Does a solution for 2020/2021create a problem for 2021/2022 and 2022/2023? Can he be the creative force in midfield for the next 3 years? Im not sure that overall this would end up being a great signing. Definitely suits some people in AFC and the players representatives
Seems like any concerns about his age and health can be dealt in the contract: give him a three year contract with stipulations that if he misses x amount of games due to injury the team can opt out, etc.
the only way I see this as a positive….he’s an experienced premier league player, who we just pay wages for. maybe quite useful ????
Don’t forget the signing on fee, agents commission and probably a bung for an intermediary to get the deal over the line, it adds up to a total waste of money that could be better used on a player we actually need.
Torn on this one. He’s a very good player, who still has his legs, rarely gets injured and has a great work rate. Being in the Europa League, and with inevitable consistency/injury issues of being overly reliant on teenagers, we do need numbers. If saving on a transfer fee here means we can bring in a real quality starting XI CB or DM, then it could be worth it On the other hand, when an ageing player’s main concern is length of contract, that is a red flag. It means he suspects his stock will fall significantly in the next… Read more »
Another +ve is this makes it much less likely we’ll sign Coutinho, who would be a disaster
Someone please help me understand this deal? Are we Chelsea’s new retirement home?
Surely the idea that we are eating Chelsea’s leftovers is not fancy but it’s not mandatory to take something useless.
Pirlo to Juventus worked out well fx.
Pride aside and only think about his impact on our current squad.
If we lose Auba (sniff sniff) Ceballos and Lacazette I would sign him to support the youngsters… and use the money to buy a tireless midfielder
Whilst I am wary of signing someone at his age, Chelsea do want to keep hold of him and if his wages are around a third of what we are wasting on Ozil then I think it could be good business. Gives time for our youngsters to develop and some quality on the bench as he gets older. We need to look at what will get us into the CL next season and I think he could help give us more options in attack. He is far more motivated than the likes of Ozil and infinitely more useful, even if… Read more »
Noticed the poo-o-meter went to 2 poos from 3… this must be getting closer
Just like with Luiz, I don’t have a problem with Willian except his age and his need of a good contract (courtesy of Kia), which we almost never fail to give to players teaching their twilight. Skilful player and could use him well but for me it’s a no. We have players who need those opportunities in the attacking roles, we need CM and CB. Atleast with Cedric there is a possibility of him turning out to be like Nacho was for us in his last 2 years, and he’ll be 32 by the end of his contract 2024
Yep. Well said.
Underwhelmed. We are in danger of becoming a ‘last big pay packet’ club for former top stars who are all but over the hill. Mkhitaryan, Luiz – and now, this guy. The trouble is, like it or not, FA Cup or no FA Cup, the table doesn’t lie. We are currently a mid table club with lofty ambitions – and that fucking hurts to say that. Hopefully, hopefully, next season we can kick on and sort out the centre of our fucking defence – and in doing so, greatly reduce our number of gifted soft goals and shipped Premiership points… Read more »
Still a great player but his age, position, potential wages and contract length make it less appealing. He can play centrally and that might be part of the thinking, we’ll just have to see.
Why? This deal makes no sense at all, except to line the pockets of our bosses and their super-agent friend.
i’d be a big fan of this signing
If this is what Arteta wants, and this does not block the progress of our other aspiring wingers/attacking midfielders, then I can’t complain about signing an older player whose super agent seems to be shopping for and outfitting our team like a live-in personal assistant!
William is a good player with plenty of exp but at the same time an aging player with massive wages and may potentially block the development of Saka, Nelson and esp Martinilli. Please dun sign him, there are other options out there though not cheaper
I agree. This is another ‘arranged marriage’ from Raul and Co. Good player, but hardly what we’re really requiring – and not exactly cheap either, given his age and undoubted wage demands. I could be wrong, but I suspect that Arteta hasn’t had much say in this one, unfortunately.
Arsenal have been one of the least creative teams in the Premier League this season, Willian was the 7th most creative player in the league and in 2018/2019 was up there as one of the top chance creation stats in Europe!
yeah he is nearly 32, but for a free transfer and for anyone thats seen his quality performances for Chelsea this season, I think its a great signing….
I have the same reservations as most, but if I’m being positive, this is where my mind goes. I’ve admired Willian for his creativity, his silky, crafty nature in the attacking end, and while I don’t like the idea of our youngsters being displaced, I do think Willian can help this squad break down opposing teams when they park the bus and defend deep. I can imagine Arteta sees it the same way, because for all the good work he’s done, that’s something he can only coach so much without much creative talent in the squad.
agreed. While age/wages are concerning, I also find it funny that people think we’re in the position to turn down a player of his quality on a free where the deal is relatively simple. Or have we forgotten last season already? Or the fact that we have to “sell to buy” in a market where nobody is trying to buy? Or the 0 Kreonke investment as usual? Or the fact that our negotiation team can mess up any deal (remember the Mari palaver) so any signing is a slight miracle? Or that experienced players are important -not many kids in… Read more »
Nooooooooo!
He’s a good player but we don’t need wingers. We need to be looking at the central midfield and defence.
We certainly need an alternative to Tierney at left back. Kolasinac isn’t it, nor is Maitland Niles really, despite him doing a decent job there. I would prefer a natural left footer.
Will have to see how good Soares and Mari turn out to be as to whether we need further options in their respective positions. It’s funny though how Arteta has made a poor selection of centre backs look pretty decent for the most part.
Can we have a second poo meter to express how we feel about it?
Money is tight as we all know. The wage bill was too large to sustain on pre-Covid income and things could get (much) worse depending on how the implications of Covid affect next season. Arteta and the backroom staff are going to have to be very careful about how scare resources are spent in the current transfer window. As the article suggests, Willian at 32 will cost a lot in wages and add-ons and I’m just not convinced he’s right for us in the current financial climate.
So Willian is 32 next month. Does that mean he is 31 until then? How does it work please?
Can’t see where this makes sense. Need is much greater in mid-field. Unless he’s willing to take a huge pay cut. Or we’re selling Laca and moving Auba central. Or maybe Arteta feels like he can turn him into a sort of number 10, and have him there for a couple years.
Not keen. Would prefer someone frankly more versatile that can function across midfield and in deep position. Seems like Edu/Sanlehi have prioritised (got fixated) on spending in the DM position with Partey so they are looking for compromise higher up. If Willian rumour is true (He may just as much along with his superagent be linked to us to facilitate a better price to elsewhere) he has oneplus and some minuses. 1) He holds the ball well. 2) He is a waning asset and frankly a Mhkitaryan signing. Seems attractive on paper but a waste of time 3) He is… Read more »
Only way it makes sense to me is if Arteta thinks he can convert him into an AM, instead of playing him on the wing?
I saw this article on a Chelsea fan site (now washing my eyes with soap) that said his stats
are actually much better in the middle.
(Appearances, Goals, Assists)
Right Winger 91, 6, 15
Attacking Midfield. 62, 17, 11
Left Winger 14, 2, 3
It’s a little out of date (from Jan 2019), but still.
https://www.si.com/soccer/chelsea/news/is-it-time-for-chelsea-fans-to-cut-willian-some-slack-00LTeBTLjE23faiAoxzKyQ
People will say ‘agent’. I think its even worse. We just seem to have terrible senior scouting. The youth scouting seems quite good (Guendouzi, Martinelli, Saliba – 3 years and each seems like a good hit right now). Its great we have Tierney but its not this amazing find nobody knew about. Pepe, Ceballos? N.1 winger on the market that year and Real Madrids young player that just won under 21 Euro with Spain. Now we are linked with: Coutinho, Willian, Partey. Upamecano previous. Doen’t look very smart or very deep scouting to me, especially for club with limited budget,… Read more »
For a club with no money, we really do piss cash away.
How much is this going to cost us in wages, signing-on fees and agent payments? £30m over three years? Crazy, for a player that turns 32 next week.
He’ll be the third oldest player at the club (behind Luiz and Sokratis). We already have Saka, Martinelli, Auba, Pepe and Nelson who can play out wide. We have far more pressing a need for a creative midfielder and a dynamic box to box player.
This is not, to use Raul’s words, “outsmarting the market”.
Quite right. Pre-Covid things were very tight financially for Arsenal – since Covid who knows what will happen next season. As we rely upon gate receipts to a larger extent than any other Premiership club, playing to anything less than a full stadium, let alone “Behind Closed Doors”, for any length of time could cripple the club financially. Arteta and the backroom staff will have to be very canny and careful what they do in this transfer window – and bringing in Willian now (for all the reason you mention) doesn’t seem to be either.
Mhiki is still on the books, and we’re trying to move him on. Willian feels like Chelsea’s Mhiki and I don’t like it.
Willian is a different animal than Mhiki. Willian is world class. Mhiki not so…
I know this may not be shared among most fans, but this is not altogether horrendous news. Chelsea are trying to sign him on a new contract so they clearly see value in him. I think he can be a good option off the bench and can push Pepe on as well. As long as his wage is not totally unreasonable – he represents a player of value and allows us to reserve our transfer funds to other areas of need.
What does Kia provide if all he does is dump old players on clubs.
Surely there are some absolute gems he can steer our way.
We should have stayed clear of him totally.
If we can get Willian on a free transfer, it speaks volumes about Mikel Arteta as Luiz is his best friend…Enough of this Kia bullshit, if we can get Willian he will make us a lot stronger. Why do you think City, United, Barcelona etc want him?!? World class player. Enough said.
Unpopular opinion, but I think we should get him. With a compressed season + EL, there’s going to be plenty of game time to go around continuing the development of our younger ones. With all due respect to our younger attackers, and I’m sure many of them will end up being just as good as Willian (or better, eventually) – in the current moment he’s definitely an addition to have. He still has it, doesn’t get injured often (though our track record doesn’t help), and can make things happen with the ball at his feet. Every time he has the… Read more »
This is happening. My Sports Invest worker brother is involved in all the paperwork. Reps met, all continue to meet, reduced wages AND signing on fee. High agent fee, of course. Solid signing, though. Still an awesome player.
Can’t see William doing the non negotiables. Saka and martinelli clearly can and deserve the chance over this
Although we have plenty of young prospects, for a long season we need problem solvers here and there when things get tough. That’s where Willian fits into, IMO.
Additionally, Arteta likes flexible formations so some Brasilian improvisational substances might have been what he needs, for short- or long-term plans.
Would love to see more of poo on that meter…