Vinci
The Sultan of Unai
Country: Netherlands
For the love of god, thanks for re-awakening the trauma of having this plonker up front.
Jiroo
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Ex-Gunner Watch
- Thread starter Bossa
- Start date
- Replies 5,086
- Views 452,622
Country: Netherlands
Country: South Africa
Player:Nketiah
Dafuq.
Country: England
UpTheGunnerz
Vrei sa pleci dar una una iei
Player:Elneny
Been thinking a lot about Guendouzi last couple of days. Man I can’t help but feel we took a major L there
Flying Okapis
Most Well-Known Member
I think the L is on hold for now and comes when/if he leaves Marseille.
Doing it in Ligue 1 and on occasion in Europe isnt enough, you could argue Marseille still got him cheap so there is always that L.
Country: Nigeria
Player:Saliba
SK___
Well-Known Member
did mart poom poom ever play any games for us?
Country: Kosova
Player:Saka
Let Me Google That
For all those people that find it more convenient to bother you with their question than to google it for themselves.
He made his debut for Arsenal on 8 November 2006 in a League Cup match against Everton, replacing the injured Manuel Almunia at half-time. Arsenal won the match 1–0 from an Emmanuel Adebayor goal.[8] His first and only appearance for Arsenal in the Premier League, came on the last day of the 2006–07 season, against his former club, Portsmouth, in a 0–0 draw.[9][10]
Mart Poom - Wikipedia
Country: England
Simon Johnson
Sep 21, 2022
Willian has spent an hour talking about some of the stories from his remarkable career when he reveals what he wants to do after he retires from football.
“I want to be a football agent,” he tells The Athletic. “I have started studying, just slowly. I can’t do too much now because I’m still playing. But I am learning so when I finish I will go into that.
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“I have had a lot of experiences I can take with me into the profession. It’s hard for young players and I want to help them. I want to give my advice, to explain what to do in certain situations.”
Fulfilling that ambition is still some way off — Willian is loving being back in the Premier League having just signed for Fulham, his third London club — but few players are better equipped to become an agent, given the variety of events he has been through.
It’s the 2019-20 season and Willian is performing as well as ever for Chelsea. Talks about a new contract break down, though, because the club are offering only a two-year deal whereas rivals Arsenal are prepared to pay him a weekly wage of £200,000 ($228,000) over three years to join them as a free agent.
Despite seven very happy years at Stamford Bridge, he opts for the extra security Arsenal provide. Within 12 months, though, he decides to walk away for nothing, saving Arsenal millions.
“I think I’m maybe the only player who has done something like this,” he says with a self-deprecating smile. “Any other player in my situation would have stayed until the end of the contract and kept picking up the money. But I’m not like this. Money is not the most important thing in the world. I have to feel good, to feel motivated to go to training. I wasn’t having that there so I decided to leave.”
Statistics aren’t the only way to judge a player but a return of one goal and seven assists in 37 appearances was way down on the kind of numbers Willian was expected to produce in north London.
The 34-year-old doesn’t want to go into all the details over why the move didn’t work out but did provide one of the causes for his struggles.
“For most of the season, we were playing without fans (because of COVID-19),” he says. “I didn’t see Arsenal fans. Maybe I needed to feel the buzz of the crowd, that it was something I missed. It was a difficult moment not just for me, but for everyone in the world. To play without fans at a new club is not easy.
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“On my last day there, I spoke with the manager Mikel Arteta. I thanked him a lot for what he had done for me, for bringing me to Arsenal. I just wished him all the best. He is a good manager and I have great respect for Arsenal. They are doing well, they have good players. They can achieve good things this season.”
The chance to go back to his first club, Corinthians in Brazil, was another factor behind the decision to walk away from the lucrative agreement he had with Arsenal. Still, those close to him, including wife Vanessa, needed some convincing it was the right thing to do.
“It was a really long conversation with her,” he admits, breaking into laughter at the memory of the exchange. “A lot of people said to me, ‘Are you crazy?! You have to stay, you can’t lose this money’. There were a lot who told me this, even people from Brazil. They’d say, ‘Don’t come, don’t come, you have to stay! You’re crazy!’. But it was something I wanted to try, to play for Corinthians, the club I grew up playing for. So that’s why I left. I was comfortable with my choice.”
Unfortunately, this decision didn’t pay off either. Corinthians fans weren’t satisfied with his tally of one goal and six assists in 45 games, although Willian is adamant he was judged unfairly.
“I was playing well at Corinthians,” he says. “The numbers weren’t the ones I expected in terms of goals and assists, but I still think my performances were good. I had some problems with injury and adapting to a different country. There were a lot of games, every three days. I had no time to rest. Also the pitches there were not the best, not like here. I had some difficult moments but, in terms of helping the team and doing the things I usually do, it was the same Willian from the Premier League. But people there just looked at the goals and assists. They didn’t look at what I was doing for the team.
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“Football is not just about goals and assists. These days, it seems people are just looking for that in terms of judging a player. For example, sometimes you can play unbelievably, and you don’t score or make an assist. People then just say, ‘You played horribly’ or ‘You’re not good enough’. Sometimes you can have a player who touches the ball just five times, scores twice and it’s like, ‘This guy was amazing, blah, blah, blah’. It is like this in football, especially in Brazil.”
Willian’s time at Corinthians last season was disrupted by injury (Photo: Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images)
Like many players judged to be underperforming in modern times, Willian was on the receiving end of abuse on social media. Some of it took a more threatening and sinister turn.
“The situation in Brazil was difficult when we lost a few games,” he says. “In one game, I didn’t have my best performance and people started to go on social media and attacked my family. From there, I started to think about leaving Corinthians and going back to England. I have friends here, players I played with, telling me to come back. I also knew the Premier League was the best in the world.
“The past year in Brazil I did a lot of thinking — do I want to live there or in England? I have no doubts about that now, I have to live in London. My family loves it here, I love it here. I have friends, everyone is here. London is my home. It is the place I love to be. I have everything here.
“As a family, we feel we can enjoy life here. If you have a bad result, it’s not going to have a bad impact on your personal life. In Brazil, if you lose a game you can’t leave your house. You have to stay home, you can’t go to a restaurant afterwards. That’s the difference.”
It takes some bravery to admit you’ve made a mistake, as Willian did in successive years over those transfers to Arsenal and Corinthians. But then this is a man who showed from an early age a willingness to make a big call.
Willian had just turned 19 when he left the home comforts of Brazil and Corinthians for the first time. Despite only one full season of regular first-team football, there were already a few offers from clubs abroad. One of those came from Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. Understandably, the teenager took some convincing.
“I had played just 10 months as a pro,” he explains. “I remember I was in a conversation with my dad about some offers from Europe. Shakhtar was one of them. I told him, ‘I don’t want to go to Ukraine, it’s too cold there!’. But Shakhtar kept insisting I should visit, just to see what it was like. So I went there with my dad for three days to see the training ground and the city.
“We liked it, the project, everything. They were playing in the Champions League every season, there were other Brazilians playing there like Luiz Adriano and Fernandinho. On my last day, they could see I still wasn’t sure. A director saw my face and could see the doubt. He asked, ‘What do you want to stay, more money or what?’. I said, ‘It’s not about money, it’s such a big move to make from Brazil to Ukraine. It is so different’. But I decided to sign the contract because I was thinking it was the best place to play in the Champions League and then I could go somewhere else afterwards, like England or Spain. It’s a good door there to go to a big league.
“I ended up staying five and a half years. It was supposed to be just two, that was the target set in my mind. It took me one year to adapt to everything, the language, the cold, the training. It was difficult. The winter was brutal, it would be -20C (-4F) outside. But it was a good time. We had a very good team. We beat Chelsea in the Champions League (in 2012). I won so many trophies (eight — four league titles, three Ukrainian Cups and the UEFA Cup).”
Shakhtar haven’t played a game at their own ground in Donetsk since 2014 due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, a conflict that increased in ferocity earlier this year. They play their home domestic fixtures in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv now but have remained competitive. They qualified for this season’s Champions League and picked up four points from their first two group games (home matches are being played in Warsaw, Poland).
Naturally, Willian is thinking about his former club and what they’re going through. “I still know a few of the people there,” he says. “I played with Darijo Srna and he is director of football there now. A few of the players are still there, the captain Andriy Pyatov and Taras Stepanenko.
“It is a difficult situation for them. I feel sad for them and Ukraine because there are good people there — it’s a good country, a country that wants to improve. It’s a very difficult situation.”
Willian didn’t get the move to a bigger club from Shakhtar in the end. He had a brief spell at Russia’s Anzhi Makhachkala first. But then the Premier League came calling in 2013.
Country: England
He must have been asked about it numerous times but Willian continues to take great delight in discussing how he ended up choosing Chelsea over Tottenham Hotspur. He is also very much aware Chelsea supporters turned the saga into a chant.
Sp**s were convinced Willian was going to become their player but somehow lost out to their rivals at the 11th hour. So what exactly happened? The 34-year-old was more than happy to reminisce.
He says: “I was in London for two weeks, waiting, waiting for Tottenham to decide because they were in a situation where Gareth Bale was in the process of leaving them to join Real Madrid. Liverpool were also interested. I wasn’t sure about Chelsea. They’d shown interest but it wasn’t so firm at first.
“Chelsea came on the day I was going to sign the contract with Sp**s. I was at Tottenham’s training ground to finalise the deal when the call came. My agent said to me, ‘Chelsea just called me and they want you’. I said, ‘OK, I want to go there!’. Then I left the training ground and went back to the hotel. It was a difficult situation because I’d agreed more or less to join Sp**s. But in my mind was only Chelsea. Once the deal between Anzhi and Chelsea was agreed, I only wanted to go there. It was the best decision of my career.”
Willian’s most successful time in England came during seven years with Chelsea between 2013 and 2020 (Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Such a statement is justified. He won five major trophies, including their most recent two Premier League trophies in 2015 and 2017. There was also a very credible 63 goals and 62 assists in 336 appearances — better than one goal involvement every three games.
Willian was accustomed to Chelsea going through lots of changes, playing under five head coaches in seven years. But seeing what’s transpired there in 2022 has taken some getting used to, with owner Roman Abramovich selling to the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium after being sanctioned by the UK government in March. Influential director Marina Granovskaia has gone too.
“I couldn’t believe it when this situation happened,” he says. “For me, when you talk about Chelsea, you just see Roman and Marina. It’s been difficult for everyone inside the club.
“But this is where (former team-mate) Cesar Azpilicueta will help. He is a very good player, an important one for the club. He’s been there for 10 years. With his experience, he can help the young players that play there at the moment.”
This month saw another change of manager, with Thomas Tuchel replaced by Graham Potter. Willian believes Azpilicueta’s presence will help during this upheaval as well.
“He knows what to do in this situation,” Willian continues. “Chelsea is a big club, one of the best in the world. Every year, Chelsea are fighting for something, even if they change a manager. They are always there. In the seven years I was there, I had Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri and Frank Lampard. It almost become normal. But it didn’t stop us, we always fought for something.
“It’s hard to win the Premier League. It’s even harder now because of Manchester City. It is the team everyone wants to beat, Liverpool too. But this season there are a lot of teams who have improved, so it will be harder for everyone.”
On February 4, Willian is due to play at Chelsea, form and availability permitting, for the first time since he left in 2020. He was an unused substitute when Arsenal won 1-0 there last year.
Fulham fans will be desperate for victory. It is arguably their biggest fixture of the season, given the lack of regard they hold for their neighbours, who reside a few miles away from Craven Cottage.
They shouldn’t worry about Willian having split loyalties. “I won’t have a problem,” he says. “If I have to score against them, I will score. I won’t celebrate, I have to respect them. I was there for seven years, I have big respect for the club and the fans. But I will still play my hardest against them and do my best for Fulham. The supporters have made me and my family feel so welcome. I really appreciated the response I got from them when I signed. I want to repay them.”
GO DEEPER
After being hounded out of Corinthians, what kind of Willian can Fulham expect?
It was Fulham who made the biggest push to sign Willian when he opted to leave Corinthians this summer. After initially training with them for a few weeks, both parties were convinced it was a move they wanted to happen.
One of the things that helped convince Willian was seeing the fine football they’re playing under Marco Silva at close hand and the way they have started the Premier League season. Most pundits predicted them to be relegated but they are in sixth place, one point above Chelsea.
Willian is already making an impact. On the Brazilian’s first start for his new side, he helped them secure a 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest. He delivered the corner that Tosin Adarabioyo headed home to level the scores at 1-1 and then played a crucial role in the build-up for Joao Palhinha’s strike to put Fulham in the lead. It was his off-the-ball run that helped create space for Harrison Reed’s goal in the 60th minute, too.
“The first two or three sessions at Fulham were very different and something I had to get used to again,” he says. “They were different from what I was doing in Brazil. Over there, the football is calmer. Here it is more strong, fast. I had to adapt again but it’s been great for me. I am very happy to be here.
Willian is playing for his third London club and feels at home in England’s capital city (Photo: Simon Johnson)
“Before I signed, I had some conversations with the manager about everything — the positions I can play, the way the team is playing. He is a very good coach and also a nice guy. I can play everywhere, on the left flank, the right and as a No 10 as well. At Chelsea, I played more on the right but I don’t have a problem where I play.
“We are doing well at the moment, the team is playing good. It’s a club that can’t keep going up, down, up and down again. This year, Fulham can do good things, first of all by staying in the Premier League and then fighting for a good position in the table.
“One of my motivations is to help them become an established team in the Premier League. I’m a player who always wants to compete, fight for something. That’s why I also want Fulham to fight for something.”
One of the reasons Fulham have begun so well is striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has scored six goals in seven Premier League matches. Willian already likes what he sees from the Serbian.
“Aleksandar is a very good player,” he says. “He reminds me of Didier Drogba and Diego Costa. He is strong, he can hold the ball, can attack space and can score goals like them. We have an understanding already and are trying to build it even more. Every week and every game we play together, it will come.”
Fulham gave Willian only a one-year contract but if he does well then an extension is possible. He knows there are doubters who think his best days are behind him after his spells with Arsenal and Corinthians. But he is convinced he can play for some time yet, pointing to Brazil team-mate Thiago Silva, who is excelling at Chelsea (he turns 38 this week) as an example to follow.
“I have a lot more to show,” he says. “I can still play at a good level. That’s why I wanted to come back to England because I know I can play for at least another two or three years here. I’m 34 now but still have a lot to offer.
“My primary focus is not proving it to those who doubt me. I need to prove it to myself and the people around me, my family and friends. I want to prove myself every day, in training, every game, that I can still play at a high level.
“How long do I think I can play for? Maybe until I’m 39-40. I’m going year by year. Playing in the Premier League is difficult to play until you’re 40. But I look at Thiago Silva. He’s 38. He’s playing good. He is an inspiration for me. We are close and we will hang out in London together now I am back.”
The chances of prolonging his career will be helped by no international football. Willian won the last of his 70 caps for Brazil in 2019 and although he hasn’t officially retired or given up on making the World Cup squad, he accepts it is very unlikely he will feature for them again.
But as our conversation comes to an end, you can see just how much he is looking forward to making England his permanent home. He has British citizenship, which requires a test, so can stay for as long as he wants. It took three attempts to pass the exam but it was clearly well worth it.
“This is where I belong,” he concludes. “The family is happy and I want to protect my family. They are the most important people in my life.”
Sp**s were convinced Willian was going to become their player but somehow lost out to their rivals at the 11th hour. So what exactly happened? The 34-year-old was more than happy to reminisce.
He says: “I was in London for two weeks, waiting, waiting for Tottenham to decide because they were in a situation where Gareth Bale was in the process of leaving them to join Real Madrid. Liverpool were also interested. I wasn’t sure about Chelsea. They’d shown interest but it wasn’t so firm at first.
“Chelsea came on the day I was going to sign the contract with Sp**s. I was at Tottenham’s training ground to finalise the deal when the call came. My agent said to me, ‘Chelsea just called me and they want you’. I said, ‘OK, I want to go there!’. Then I left the training ground and went back to the hotel. It was a difficult situation because I’d agreed more or less to join Sp**s. But in my mind was only Chelsea. Once the deal between Anzhi and Chelsea was agreed, I only wanted to go there. It was the best decision of my career.”
Willian’s most successful time in England came during seven years with Chelsea between 2013 and 2020 (Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Such a statement is justified. He won five major trophies, including their most recent two Premier League trophies in 2015 and 2017. There was also a very credible 63 goals and 62 assists in 336 appearances — better than one goal involvement every three games.
Willian was accustomed to Chelsea going through lots of changes, playing under five head coaches in seven years. But seeing what’s transpired there in 2022 has taken some getting used to, with owner Roman Abramovich selling to the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium after being sanctioned by the UK government in March. Influential director Marina Granovskaia has gone too.
“I couldn’t believe it when this situation happened,” he says. “For me, when you talk about Chelsea, you just see Roman and Marina. It’s been difficult for everyone inside the club.
“But this is where (former team-mate) Cesar Azpilicueta will help. He is a very good player, an important one for the club. He’s been there for 10 years. With his experience, he can help the young players that play there at the moment.”
This month saw another change of manager, with Thomas Tuchel replaced by Graham Potter. Willian believes Azpilicueta’s presence will help during this upheaval as well.
“He knows what to do in this situation,” Willian continues. “Chelsea is a big club, one of the best in the world. Every year, Chelsea are fighting for something, even if they change a manager. They are always there. In the seven years I was there, I had Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri and Frank Lampard. It almost become normal. But it didn’t stop us, we always fought for something.
“It’s hard to win the Premier League. It’s even harder now because of Manchester City. It is the team everyone wants to beat, Liverpool too. But this season there are a lot of teams who have improved, so it will be harder for everyone.”
On February 4, Willian is due to play at Chelsea, form and availability permitting, for the first time since he left in 2020. He was an unused substitute when Arsenal won 1-0 there last year.
Fulham fans will be desperate for victory. It is arguably their biggest fixture of the season, given the lack of regard they hold for their neighbours, who reside a few miles away from Craven Cottage.
They shouldn’t worry about Willian having split loyalties. “I won’t have a problem,” he says. “If I have to score against them, I will score. I won’t celebrate, I have to respect them. I was there for seven years, I have big respect for the club and the fans. But I will still play my hardest against them and do my best for Fulham. The supporters have made me and my family feel so welcome. I really appreciated the response I got from them when I signed. I want to repay them.”
GO DEEPER
After being hounded out of Corinthians, what kind of Willian can Fulham expect?
It was Fulham who made the biggest push to sign Willian when he opted to leave Corinthians this summer. After initially training with them for a few weeks, both parties were convinced it was a move they wanted to happen.
One of the things that helped convince Willian was seeing the fine football they’re playing under Marco Silva at close hand and the way they have started the Premier League season. Most pundits predicted them to be relegated but they are in sixth place, one point above Chelsea.
Willian is already making an impact. On the Brazilian’s first start for his new side, he helped them secure a 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest. He delivered the corner that Tosin Adarabioyo headed home to level the scores at 1-1 and then played a crucial role in the build-up for Joao Palhinha’s strike to put Fulham in the lead. It was his off-the-ball run that helped create space for Harrison Reed’s goal in the 60th minute, too.
“The first two or three sessions at Fulham were very different and something I had to get used to again,” he says. “They were different from what I was doing in Brazil. Over there, the football is calmer. Here it is more strong, fast. I had to adapt again but it’s been great for me. I am very happy to be here.
Willian is playing for his third London club and feels at home in England’s capital city (Photo: Simon Johnson)
“Before I signed, I had some conversations with the manager about everything — the positions I can play, the way the team is playing. He is a very good coach and also a nice guy. I can play everywhere, on the left flank, the right and as a No 10 as well. At Chelsea, I played more on the right but I don’t have a problem where I play.
“We are doing well at the moment, the team is playing good. It’s a club that can’t keep going up, down, up and down again. This year, Fulham can do good things, first of all by staying in the Premier League and then fighting for a good position in the table.
“One of my motivations is to help them become an established team in the Premier League. I’m a player who always wants to compete, fight for something. That’s why I also want Fulham to fight for something.”
One of the reasons Fulham have begun so well is striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has scored six goals in seven Premier League matches. Willian already likes what he sees from the Serbian.
“Aleksandar is a very good player,” he says. “He reminds me of Didier Drogba and Diego Costa. He is strong, he can hold the ball, can attack space and can score goals like them. We have an understanding already and are trying to build it even more. Every week and every game we play together, it will come.”
Fulham gave Willian only a one-year contract but if he does well then an extension is possible. He knows there are doubters who think his best days are behind him after his spells with Arsenal and Corinthians. But he is convinced he can play for some time yet, pointing to Brazil team-mate Thiago Silva, who is excelling at Chelsea (he turns 38 this week) as an example to follow.
“I have a lot more to show,” he says. “I can still play at a good level. That’s why I wanted to come back to England because I know I can play for at least another two or three years here. I’m 34 now but still have a lot to offer.
“My primary focus is not proving it to those who doubt me. I need to prove it to myself and the people around me, my family and friends. I want to prove myself every day, in training, every game, that I can still play at a high level.
“How long do I think I can play for? Maybe until I’m 39-40. I’m going year by year. Playing in the Premier League is difficult to play until you’re 40. But I look at Thiago Silva. He’s 38. He’s playing good. He is an inspiration for me. We are close and we will hang out in London together now I am back.”
The chances of prolonging his career will be helped by no international football. Willian won the last of his 70 caps for Brazil in 2019 and although he hasn’t officially retired or given up on making the World Cup squad, he accepts it is very unlikely he will feature for them again.
But as our conversation comes to an end, you can see just how much he is looking forward to making England his permanent home. He has British citizenship, which requires a test, so can stay for as long as he wants. It took three attempts to pass the exam but it was clearly well worth it.
“This is where I belong,” he concludes. “The family is happy and I want to protect my family. They are the most important people in my life.”
Country: England
Nothing more need be said…
Country: England
Most injured players in modern football
A lot of ex Arsenal, damn near half.
Tir Na Nog
Changes Opinion Every 5 Minutes
Country: Ireland
His career at United and at the top level was ended that day. I wouldn't mind it was not even that long since his warrior like performance in the world cup final. Never seen someone's career effectively ended in one game like that, but he just never recovered from it.
Riou
In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over
Country: Northern Ireland
Player:Gabriel
...lovely moment.
CaseUteinberger
Established Member
Country: Sweden
Riou
In The Winchester, Waiting For This To Blow Over
Country: Northern Ireland
Player:Gabriel
Good to see Auba smiling again (wish it wasn't for Chelsea, but it is what it is) been through a hell of a lot in the last year or 2.
After signing his big deal here, talking about being an Arsenal legend one day...he badly fell out with the manager (not blaming either, sometimes **** happens) was embarrassed publicly on the doc and made to look like a bit of a **** (something I am still not happy with) then got violently attacked at his own home in Barcelona ffs.
Such a nice guy, didn't deserve any of that, so glad he is over that period...plus despite playing for Arsenal right in the middle of it's worst era in ages ( 2016-2021, some of the **** the club went through in this period is madness looking back
) he still scored a ton of goals for us and helped us to our record FA cup win.
#Respect
After signing his big deal here, talking about being an Arsenal legend one day...he badly fell out with the manager (not blaming either, sometimes **** happens) was embarrassed publicly on the doc and made to look like a bit of a **** (something I am still not happy with) then got violently attacked at his own home in Barcelona ffs.
Such a nice guy, didn't deserve any of that, so glad he is over that period...plus despite playing for Arsenal right in the middle of it's worst era in ages ( 2016-2021, some of the **** the club went through in this period is madness looking back
) he still scored a ton of goals for us and helped us to our record FA cup win.#Respect
