Willian to Arsenal reminds us of Ashely Cole’s move, but has it paid off?

Last summer saw a lot of changes in the Chelsea squad. Many young players came in and some veterans moved out of the club. Willian was one of them, he went on to join arch-rivals Arsenal on a free transfer.

Arsenal were looking for someone to improve their attack and add more flexibility to it. They had other options but they decided to go for Willian in the end. One would think that saving money was one of the reasons for the Gunners.

However, Arsenal did had to pay a massive $10 million to 32-year-old forward in terms of wages. Chelsea were not quite agreeing to such an extension also they would not have been able to give Willian the game time he desired.

So the deal was struck and the Brazilian made his move to the Emirates. But almost 6 months down the line and Arsenal find themselves wondering whether it was the right decision. Willian’s move is similar to the one which Ashley Cole made when he joined Chelsea.

Arsenal were not ready to fulfill his wage demand so he went on to join Chelsea and he was great for West London giants. Something similar was expected from Willian however he hasn’t been really able to live up to the expectations.

Willian needs to prove his worth to Arsenal:

Since joining Arsenal Willian hasn’t been in the best of forms. Willian just has 4 assists to his name in his 24 appearances for the club. ‘Willian really hasn’t been able to make his impact felt for Arsenal‘. This was Arteta’s statement as per the Outlook.

He is one of the senior members of the squad and Mikel Arteta will look to him for leadership. Latest 3-1 victory against Leicester City will be a boost for the Gunners and Willian too as he managed to grab another assist.

The current situation at Arsenal is such that there are no guarantees for a first-team spot. If you perform well you will be given a chance. Many young players have taken advantage of this and made their way into the first team.

Nketiah, Willock, Emile Smith Rowe, Saka are all youngsters who are doing really well with the club. It is rather the veterans who need to pick up their game. Aubameyang, Lacazette, Willian all have been underperforming for Arsenal.

Arteta will be hoping that the club is able to build on this momentum. Arsenal’s performance this season has been highly inconsistent. The club is in desperate need of a consolidated push if they are to finish close to the top spots in the league.

Surely if the leaders of the team get back to their lethal selves it won’t be too difficult for Arsenal. But the push has to come within the team. The players have a point to prove to the manager, that they’re still good enough to lead the club.

Arsenal are currently at 10th position in English Premier League table after impressive 1-3 away victory over Leicester City.