Brazilian winger Willian has just walked away from Arsenal, mutually terminating his contract with the club. And I think he should be applauded for that.
Willian’s time at Arsenal – who he joined last summer from Chelsea – has been an unmitigated disaster. Aside from his first game against a dire Fulham side he has just got worse and worse until he wasn’t even making the squad. The manager says he doesn’t know why things haven’t worked out, neither does the player.
He was earning a reported £200,000 per week, big bucks even in Premier League football’s insane terms, and a lot of players would have simply ridden out their remaining two contracted years, making bank but never actually playing. And Willian would have been within his rights to do so; Gareth Bale is doing it at Real Madrid as we speak. In my opinion, though, such a thing is sad to see. These guys don’t even need the money, and it’s a waste of talent and of a short career.
Willian seemingly agrees. His decision to leave for nothing, going back to Brazil to play, is one that greed-driven characters like Bale could learn a lot from.
