{"id":3201,"date":"2026-04-07T09:42:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T09:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=3201"},"modified":"2026-04-07T09:42:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T09:42:03","slug":"my-family-told-me-not-to-leave-chelsea-for-arsenal-i-should-have-listened-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=3201","title":{"rendered":"My family told me not to leave Chelsea for Arsenal – I should have listened | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"


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A move to Arsenal did not work out for the Chelsea legend (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chelsea hero Willian has revealed that even \u2018family members\u2019 were concerned about his decision to leave Stamford Bridge and join London rivals Arsenal.<\/p>\n

Willian spent seven enjoyable and successful years at Chelsea following his \u00a330m move from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013.<\/p>\n

The Brazilian made at least 40 appearances in each of his seven seasons in west London, amassing over 300 appearances for Chelsea and scoring 63 goals.<\/p>\n

Willian helped the Blues win two Premier League titles \u2013 the first under Jose Mourinho and the second under Antonio Conte \u2013 the Europa League, FA Cup and EFL Cup.<\/p>\n

The former Shakhtar Donetsk winger was named as Chelsea\u2019s new No. 10 in August 2019 but was announcing his departure less than a year later, claiming it was the \u2018right time to move on\u2019.<\/p>\n

Willian was heavily linked with Premier League rivals Arsenal during his final few weeks at Chelsea and indeed signed a three-year deal with the Gunners less than a week after his Stamford Bridge exit.<\/p>\n

Mikel Arteta was confident the Brazil international would \u2018really make a difference for us\u2019 but that failed to materialise, with Willian leaving the following summer having scored just once in 37 appearances.<\/p>\n

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Willian enjoyed a superb spell at Chelsea (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Willian later described his spell at Arsenal as the \u2018worst time\u2019 of his professional career and has now revealed that even \u2018family members\u2019 were concerned after he left Chelsea.<\/p>\n

\u2018I wanted a three-year contract and Chelsea were only offering a two-year deal, so I ended up not renewing my contract,\u2019 Willian told HBO Max<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018During those negotiations, Arsenal started showing interest. Many people say I should never have left Chelsea, family members as well.<\/p>\n

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The Brazilian fared less well at Arsenal (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018When I got there, it was a transition period, a lot of players left the club, others came in. I played during the pandemic as well, and that didn\u2019t help. I couldn\u2019t connect to the fans; the stadiums were empty.\u2019<\/p>\n

Willian still had two years left on his lucrative Arsenal contract when he reached an agreement with the Gunners to leave and sign for boyhood club Corinthians.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on his Arsenal spell on Manchester United and England legend Rio Ferdinand\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>Willian said: \u2018I wasn\u2019t happy (at Arsenal), I wasn\u2019t happy.<\/p>\n

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\u2018That\u2019s why I didn\u2019t perform. I don\u2019t want to go into the details. When I arrived there I was happy, from the beginning I was motivated, I wanted to do well \u2013 new club, new mates, new project.<\/p>\n

\u2018But after three months, I said to my agent: \u201cPlease, I want to go\u201d. I don\u2019t want to speak bad about the club, because it is a big club. Arsenal has a big history.<\/p>\n

\u2018In football, big players played there before as well. But it didn\u2019t work, it didn\u2019t work. It was, of course, the most difficult time of my career.<\/p>\n

\u2018It 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\u2019t having that.<\/p>\n

\u2018So 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.<\/p>\n

\u2018For me, it\u2019s unfair to stay in a place that you don\u2019t want to stay just because of the money. For me, it was that.\u2019<\/p>\n

Willian has had two spells back in the Premier League with Fulham since leaving Arsenal in 2021. He is currently playing for Brazilian club Gremio.<\/p>\n

For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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