It looks increasingly likely that Willian is set to become Arsenals first signing of the summer transfer window. Spending a limited budget on ageing player is cause for concern, and the recent trend of Chelsea offloading players past their prime is certainly not a good look for the club. It would be harsh to criticise the professionalism of Petr Chech and David Luiz but their best days were well and truly behind them when they joined Arsenal. The criticism levelled at the club is that it is becoming a home for semi-retired players enjoying one last lucrative contract whist revelling in the comforts London life and generally feeling relatively comfortable with the lower expectations and demands at Arsenal.
Chelsea has already lined up younger stars to replace Willians, namely Christian Pulisic and potentially Kai Havertz who is heavily tipped to join the blues this summer. It is safe to say that the transfer is not capturing the imagination among the fanbase, however, the reality is the club was never in a position to make a marquee signing this window, and this deal demonstrates the awkward financial position that the club finds itself in at the moment.
Another contentious issue is the growing influence of super agent Kia Joorabchian who is Willian's agent as well as David Luiz and Cedric Soares. The club has just overhauled the scouting department and all indications are that the new approach to singings will be driven by an agent led process. The close relationship between technical director Edu and Kia has unsettled many fans and the way in which the finances surrounding the Luiz and Soares deals played out this season saw the club came out worse in both deals. David Luiz’s transfer deal to everyone's surprise turned out to be a 1year deal rather than 2 culminating with massive uncertainty post lockdown. Luiz admitted that his contract situation directly contributed to his disastrous performance against Manchester City. In the case of Soares the club forked out on a loan fee and wages while he arrived with a knee ligament injure unavailable to play until the loan deal expired and then we promptly signed him on a free transfer. Combining the financial wastefulness of these deals with the recent news of redundancies and the clubs uncertain financial position, it is definitely an issue that club will have to manage better however the relationship between Arsenal and Kia does not seem to be lessening. Now the idea of tying a 32-year-old player in Willian to a 3-year contract with little or no sell on value doesn’t make much financial sense.
Chelsea has already lined up younger stars to replace Willians, namely Christian Pulisic and potentially Kai Havertz who is heavily tipped to join the blues this summer. It is safe to say that the transfer is not capturing the imagination among the fanbase, however, the reality is the club was never in a position to make a marquee signing this window, and this deal demonstrates the awkward financial position that the club finds itself in at the moment.
Another contentious issue is the growing influence of super agent Kia Joorabchian who is Willian's agent as well as David Luiz and Cedric Soares. The club has just overhauled the scouting department and all indications are that the new approach to singings will be driven by an agent led process. The close relationship between technical director Edu and Kia has unsettled many fans and the way in which the finances surrounding the Luiz and Soares deals played out this season saw the club came out worse in both deals. David Luiz’s transfer deal to everyone's surprise turned out to be a 1year deal rather than 2 culminating with massive uncertainty post lockdown. Luiz admitted that his contract situation directly contributed to his disastrous performance against Manchester City. In the case of Soares the club forked out on a loan fee and wages while he arrived with a knee ligament injure unavailable to play until the loan deal expired and then we promptly signed him on a free transfer. Combining the financial wastefulness of these deals with the recent news of redundancies and the clubs uncertain financial position, it is definitely an issue that club will have to manage better however the relationship between Arsenal and Kia does not seem to be lessening. Now the idea of tying a 32-year-old player in Willian to a 3-year contract with little or no sell on value doesn’t make much financial sense.
On a purely football level Arsenal look to gain a player hugely experienced at highest levels of international and club football. Willian’s form post lockdown was excellent, registering 4 goals and 2 assists that was key to Chelsea’s push for a champions league place. Despite turning 32 today his numbers and performance levels have been consistently good this season when compared to his previous 7 seasons at Chelsea. Predominantly playing on the right-wing, he is also capable of playing across the front attacking midfield positions. Given Pepe’s importance to the team, it is unlikely that Arteta will play him on the right-wing although it would be added competition for Pepe. Instead, it is more conceivable that Willian will play on the left-wing. This in line with the idea that Arteta favours a 4-3-3 similar to that at Manchester City, in which case Willian playing on the left and cutting in on his favoured right foot could well be where he fits into Arteta’s systems next season. Despite his age, Willian still provides a goal threat from midfield that has been severely lacking this season. His strengths as a strong technical dribbler pushing from midfield is a big positive and it could work well in tandem with Pepe on the other flank.
Joining compatriots in Luiz and Martinelli, Willian will add to the growing Brazilian contingency in the squad. It is interesting to note that Arsenal are currently linked to Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes, and with Edu’s contacts and influence the Brazilian group in the squad could well be a strong component in the coming years. Despite the concerns of his age, it does mean his presence will not block the development of the younger attacking players in the team. Saka withstanding, it was clear this season that Nelson, Willock and Nketiah despite having the potential are just not at the level to be consistently producing goals and assists in the premier league at the moment. Arteta will be hoping Willian can bridge the gap between the youth players lack of experience. Willian is is a here and now signing ready to start delivering straight away, and we can expect that game time will be shared between the younger players in the Europa League and cup games easing the pressure on them and allowing them to learn from a player with bags of experience and quality. The quality of the player cannot be doubted, the issue many fans have with this transfer is the age profile of the player however it could work out to be worthwhile signing for Arsenal in the short term.
Philippe Coutinho (another Kia Joorabchianc client) has also been linked to a move to Arsenal, however, it remains to be seen weather the Willian signing will mean the end of any potential deal for Coutinho. The costs associated between the two signings are significantly different, Willian will be arriving on a free transfer, whereas Coutinho will almost certainly be a loan deal and Barcelona will push hard for a fee that will help recover their outlay on their record signing. The huge plus when comparing the two players is the age gap. Coutinho is currently in his peak years and Willian is certainly past his prime playing years. It will be interesting if he does move to see how his confidence has been affected since realising that his dream move to Barcelona failed. It is unclear whether the deal will be anything other than a short term loan, despite however unrealistic it may seem that Arsenal can make the deal permanent somehow the club will be wary not to find themselves in another Ozil type situation where we are stuck with another high profile misfit superstar on astronomical wages.
Operating centrally rather as an out and out winger the two players are not like for like and it may well be if Arsenal did decide to sign him that he would operate in a 3 man midfield providing a creative link that Arsenal has sorely missed this season. The Coutinho deal will definitely make more of an impression but at this moment in time the Willian deal seems to have more transaction. The squad is in need of an overhaul and we should expect outgoing transfers as well more additions, it could very well be a busy summer.
Mohammed Chowdhury
Clock End Talk Blog
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