It always looked like Willian would be leaving Chelsea this summer, but the Covid-19 shutdown and his impressive form did make you wonder if he might stay.
Plenty of teams are struggling financially so it does make sense to keep existing players rather than entering the market, but Chelsea have shown they do have money to spend.
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As a result it appears that Willian is off, and this suggests the should be an Arsenal player next week:
Confirmed. Last details and paperworks time between Willian and Arsenal. He’s going to join Gunners on next week. ??? #AFC #Arsenal #transfers https://t.co/g5JncL0ibi
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 9, 2020
It’s a big call for Chelsea to let him go because of his importance to the team, while they have also allowed him to go to a direct rival.
They must be confident that he’s not good enough to warrant a new contract, but the fans will be furious if he comes back to haunt them by shining at Arsenal.
It should be a good move for Mikel Arteta because he has a team with plenty of talented youngsters, so they should be able to learn from Willian’s ability and work ethic.
Time will tell how long he can last at the top level and who’s made the right decision here, but it looks like the Gunners should be pleased with themselves for now.