Kieran Maguire: Willian deserves ‘huge credit’ amid £20m Arsenal news
Willian deserves “huge credit” for his decision to refuse a pay-off and save Arsenal £20million in wages after he agreed to cancel his contract.
So says finance expert Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider after the Gunners announced the mutual termination on 30 August.
The 33-year-old had two years remaining on his deal at the Emirates before he agreed to tear it up in order to rejoin boyhood club Corinthians.
Sky Sports reported the same day that Arsenal were set to save £20m in wages and that the hierarchy at the Emirates was amazed by his gesture.
The Brazilian attacker was widely reported to earn £240,000-a-week after he signed from Chelsea last summer.
But the 70-cap Brazil international failed to impress after he made the journey across London.
Maguire lauded Willian for his willingness to walk away from the club without a mega pay-off.
“I think this is big for Arsenal,” he told Football Insider correspondent Adam Williams.
“You have to give huge credit to the player. He could easily have accepted a pay-off or just run his contract down.
“We’ve seen this happen before. The shadow of Winston Bogarde and Nikola Zigic hangs over.
“But he hasn’t done that, and you have to admire his decision to go and play football rather than simply collect his paycheck.”
Willian registered seven assists and scored one goal in 37 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions.
He did not feature for Mikel Arteta’s side this season before his departure.
In other news, Kevin Campbell claims Hector Bellerin has played his last game for Arsenal after confirmed news.