Willian has admitted he chased the money when he decided to leave Chelsea for Arsenal, only to be left unhappy and frustrated in Mikel Arteta's team.
Seven years at Chelsea
Willian spent seven years at Chelsea, where he helped the club win two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the Europa League and Carabao Cup. The Brazilian was much loved during his time at the club, but turned heads when he joined Arsenal in the summer of 2020.
His contract had expired at Chelsea and the winger decided to join their rivals, having been offered a three-year contract, worth a reported £220,000-a-week. The Blues had offered him a deal to stay at Stamford Bridge, but were unwilling to match Arsenal's offer.
"They sold me a dream"
It turned out to be a mistake for Willian, who lasted just one season at Arsenal before heading back to his boyhood club Corinthians in Brazil. Speaking to his former Chelsea team-mate John Obi Mikel on The Obi One Podcast, he explained how the transfer came about.
"I met Arteta, I met everyone there," he said. "And they said 'we want you to be the main guy'. Arteta said to me: 'We're going to play like this and I want you to be the main guy, I will build the team around you, I want to give you the key to the club'.
"When I heard that, obviously I love Chelsea but I was in the last year of my contract, I was 32, and I was thinking three more years in London, stay with my family in London, they love London. And then I decided.
"To be honest I should have stayed but at that moment I was thinking maybe the best solution is to go there, and I signed for three years there but it was not good."
Frustration at Arsenal
Willian returned seven assists and one goal in 37 appearances for Arsenal in the 2020/21 season, but didn't enjoy his time there. "I got frustrated," he added. "I am not saying it is their fault, but when you heard a lot of things and then you join the club, things that are not the same as what they told me, I got frustrated straight away.
"Three months later I said to my agent I want to leave, and that I made a big mistake leaving Chelsea."
Asked if promises were broken, Willian said: "It was more due to what I heard. I got frustrated from that because when I was there I saw some situations that I said to myself, it's not going to change.
"But it didn't work and because of that I couldn't play well or perform because I wasn't happy. When you are not happy you cannot perform. Money cannot buy happiness. It was the best contract of my life there, but I wasn't happy."
Arsenal were at the start of their time under Arteta's management and finished eighth in the 2020/21 season. The former midfielder won their first Premier League title in 22 years last season and Willian emphasised that his unhappiness wasn't down to the manager.
"I have nothing against him," he said. "He's a great coach inside the pitch, his ideas are great but he missed little bits on how to manage the team. The human part, he was missing it. It's important, but inside the pitch he is good. I always joke they sold me a dream and it wasn't a good dream."
