Arsenal’s Willian admits he is currently ‘far away from being at my best’
Last Updated: January 16, 2021 3:15 pm
Willian’s Arsenal stint
Willian joined Arsenal on a free transfer from London rivals Chelsea last summer.
Obviously, no transfer sum was paid for the Brazilian. However, this doesn’t mean that he hasn’t cost the Gunners anything.
Between signing on fees, agent fees and his reported £100,000-a-week basic wage, the winger’s stint in north London will set Arsenal back considerably over the course of his time with the club.
So far, though, Willian hasn’t even come close to justifying the money Arsenal have spent/will spend on him.
With Nicolas Pepe continuing to struggle to find his feet at the Emirates, Willian has been used more frequently by Mikel Arteta than most were likely expecting.
However, the former Chelsea man has seriously underwhelmed, racking up no goals and just three assists – two of which came on the opening day versus Fulham – all season.
Willian speaks out over recent struggles
Willian once again disappointed in his most recent showing, versus Newcastle in the FA Cup.
In turn, he didn’t even get off the bench on Thursday when Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace.
And now, ahead of the Gunners’ next outing, at home to Newcastle on Monday, Willian has opened up on his recent struggles, admitting that he is ‘far away from his best’ as things stand:
“To be honest sometimes it can be difficult to explain.
“The first game was great for me, against Fulham, I felt I had a good performance and gave two assists. And then, I don’t know.
“I’m always trying to do my best, sometimes things don’t go the way you want. You have to say it’s a part of football and a part of life. Sometimes you have good moments, other times you have bad moments, you have to learn from that.
“And right now, I know I’m far away from being at my best, but I’m determined to work hard and change this.”
Willian: I’m far from my best at Arsenal but I’m determined to change things https://t.co/TsDScYotwn
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) January 15, 2021
See also: Liverpool vs Manchester United betting tips: Premier League preview, predictions & odds
Manchester City vs Crystal Palace betting tips: Premier League preview, predictions & odds
This article was edited by Conor Laird.
Arsenal betting odds, next game:
Burnley vs Arsenal odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Burnley vs Arsenal Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Burnley | 17/2 | 7/1 |
| Arsenal | 11/4 | 7/4 |
| Draw | 9/2 | 10/1 |
| Burnley vs Arsenal Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 13/8 | 13/8 | 10/11 |
| Alexandre Lacazette | 15/8 | 15/8 | 1/1 |
| Eddie Nketiah | 21/10 | 21/10 | 6/5 |
| Folarin Balogun | 11/4 | 11/4 | 8/5 |
| Nicolas Pepe | 11/4 | 11/4 | 8/5 |
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 27 | 39 | 65 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 27 | 21 | 51 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 27 | 15 | 50 |
| 4 | Chelsea FC | 27 | 17 | 47 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 26 | 6 | 46 |
| 6 | West Ham United FC | 26 | 9 | 45 |
| 7 | Liverpool FC | 27 | 12 | 43 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 26 | 15 | 42 |
| 9 | Aston Villa FC | 25 | 11 | 39 |
| 10 | Arsenal FC | 26 | 7 | 37 |
| 11 | Leeds United | 26 | -1 | 35 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 27 | -9 | 34 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 27 | -14 | 34 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 26 | -13 | 30 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 27 | -16 | 29 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 26 | -7 | 26 |
| 17 | Newcastle United FC | 26 | -17 | 26 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 27 | -12 | 23 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 27 | -36 | 17 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 27 | -27 | 14 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 17 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 15 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 14 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 13 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 11 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City FC | 7 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 6 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 6 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dallas, Stuart | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 6 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 4 |
