Long before he ever made Spurs pay for his flight, before he saw the light, and before he made any one of his 339 appearances for Chelsea Football Club (29th all-time), Willian began his career in Brazil at world famous Corinthians, joining their academy at age 10.
That part about the contract is a commendable but also rather amusing development, since the Gunners outbid Chelsea last summer by offering a three-year deal rather than just the two we were willing to commit to.
But it was a rather disastrous season for our former winger in North London, scoring a career-low one goal in 37 appearances.
The narrative around him quickly turned from excitement remember how they were going to win the Champions League with him? to disappointment and criticism, and combined with Arsenal’s tragic start to this season (bottom of the table, zero wins, zero points, zero goals), it was not too surprising that he didn’t want to stick around any longer.
All that aside, Willian’s time in the Premier League has been rather glorious thanks to his seven seasons at Stamford Bridge, with plenty of happy memories to cherish.
Good luck, Will.I.An in these final couple years of a very successful career! Wonder what David Luiz is up to?
