“That’s why I didn’t perform” - When ex-Chelsea star opened up on asking agent to get him out of Arsenal after Emirates switch

Former Chelsea star Willian spoke about his time at Arsenal in 2021, explaining that he wanted to leave the Emirates just three months after joining. The Brazilian claimed that he was not happy, which affected his performance.

Speaking to Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, Willian said that he was motivated when he joined Arsenal as he wanted to do well in the new project. However, he revealed that things changed quickly, turning it into the most difficult time in his career. He said (via Mirror):

"I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t happy. That’s why I didn’t perform. I don’t want to go into the details. When I arrived there I was happy, from the beginning I was motivated, I wanted to do well - new club, new mates, new project. In football, big players played there before as well. But it didn’t work, it didn’t work. It was, of course, the most difficult time of my career."

Willian added that he asked his agent to get him out of the club, and he was ready to give up the rest of his contract, as he was unhappy at the club. He added:

"It was big money that I gave up. But sometimes money is not the most important thing in life. I think you need to be happy, get pleasure every day waking up in the morning to go to train. I wasn’t having that. So I said to myself, with my family, I cannot stay here, I am not happy here. I have to leave, find a way out, leave the club, because if I stay I am going to stay the same. For me, it’s unfair to stay in a place that you don’t want to stay just because of the money. For me, it was that."

Willian had signed a £240,000 per week deal at Arsenal, and gave up £20.5 million to cut short his stay and leave a year into his three-year deal.

Why did Willian leave Chelsea for Arsenal?

Willian revealed that he wanted a three-year deal at Chelsea, but the Blues were unwilling to match his demand. He added that the Gunners were quick to agree terms, and he moved across London. He said:

"It was difficult to decide, because I wanted to stay at Chelsea. But I wanted a three-year contract and Chelsea say, ‘No we want to give you two years.' So it was like this: they say two, I say three, they say two, I say three. At the end of the season, I decided to join Arsenal."

Willian moved to join Corinthians in 2021, before returning to the Premier League with Fulham. He joined Olympiacos in 2024, before terminating his deal six months later and moving back to Fulham in February 2025. He joined Gremio in the summer after his deal with the Cottagers expired.