MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 00:48:38| >> :120:9379:9379:

Edu lifts lid on Willian's Arsenal departure

Edu lifts lid on Willian's Arsenal departure
© Reuters
Arsenal technical director Edu reveals that Willian told him he was not "100% comfortable" at the club before his deal was mutually terminated this summer.

Arsenal technical director Edu has lifted the lid on Willian's summer exit from the club, claiming that the attacker told him he was not "100% comfortable" in North London.

The former Chelsea man penned a three-year deal at the Emirates in the summer of 2020 but endured a torrid debut season, registering only one goal in 37 games across all competitions.

Arsenal and Willian mutually agreed to terminate his deal before he completed a free transfer back to Corinthians last month, and Edu has since explained the rationale behind his signing and ultimate exit after an ill-fated year.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Edu said: "The decision with Willian was to sign someone with experience, with a lot of Premier League games and to impact the team straight away.

"If you see the first game against Fulham which we played away, he started very well and everybody said 'wow, now we have a proper team', but the circumstances were different through the season – inconsistent, for Willian and everyone else, to be fair.

"In the end of the season, me and Mikel say 'how are you? because I need you much more consistent, what's happening?' and he said he was not 100% comfortable.

"When I listened to that and when Mikel listened to that we made the decision to say 'okay, we don't want a player here that is not 100% comfortable, not 100% with the team, it is my business to try and find the best solution.

"If it's a mistake or not, it's hard to say. You wouldn't if our season had been better with everyone being more consistent. But the most important thing is that we tried what we tried."

Willian also registered seven assists during his only season at Arsenal and returns to Corinthians after scoring two goals and setting up two more in 17 appearances for the Brazilian Serie A team between 2006 and 2007.

ID:462265:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect2853:

Willian future - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Edu

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal's Willian pictured on February 14, 2021
Read Next:
Willian 'to walk away from £20m in wages to secure Arsenal exit'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
Read more about Edu Willian Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!