Arsenal winger Willian has played down transfer rumours that linked him with Barcelona before he left Chelsea to move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
The Brazil international had a fine career at Chelsea and it would have been unsurprising if a big club like Barcelona were keen on him at some point.
MORE: Arsenal could land ideal Mesut Ozil replacement in smart swap transfer
However, talking to FourFourTwo, Willian has suggested there was no official offer from the Catalan giants as he played down talk of a possible move to the Nou Camp.
Willian insists he wouldn’t have just jumped at the chance to join Barca, suggesting he’s pretty happy to have moved to Arsenal, with the interview also containing quotes of him heaping praise onto manager Mikel Arteta.
“There are always rumours, but I didn’t know about any other official offer,” he told FourFourTwo.
“Indeed, there was a lot of talk about Barcelona for the past few seasons, but I wouldn’t have gone there just because they’re Barca.
“I wouldn’t go to any club without hearing about their targets and what they wanted from me.
“It wouldn’t be nice to be there or anywhere else if you weren’t going to be a big part of the project and didn’t play much.
“Arsenal were the only club to show me a project that would fit with my ambitions, and they’re one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
Willian perhaps hasn’t made the brightest of starts at Arsenal, but his form at Chelsea shows he’s worth sticking with, even if some fans may be concerned they signed him just at the point where his career could be heading into decline.