Arsenal will soon unveil Brazilian winger Willian as a new signing following his release from Chelsea earlier this month and he could earn close to £35m over the next few years at the Emirates Stadium thanks to a surprisingly lucrative contract.
Willian has just turned 32 and one of the issues that led to his Chelsea exit is that he wanted a longer contract and the extra security it comes with than the club was willing to offer.
Arsenal have offered the player a longer deal that will handsomely reward Willian until June 2023 when he is nearly 35. That is despite the Gunners struggling financially amid the coronavirus crisis, agreeing pay cuts with existing players and proposing to lay off 55 non-playing staff.
The club justified the significant job losses – around 10% of their total workforce – by explaining that reducing costs in the running of the business will allow them to invest in the team.
With a new contract for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also on the cards in addition to the imminent arrival of Willian, that is precisely what they appear to be doing.
The Daily Mail writes that although Willian will earn a lower basic salary than he had at Chelsea, a signing fee, loyalty payments and various other bonuses will inflate it to £220,000 per week.
That works out at an approximate £11.4m per season if he reaps the full benefit of his terms and not far short of £35m over the length of the deal. It also comes with the option of a fourth year. It is, of course, nothing against Willian for accepting what Arsenal were willing to offer.
Given that the agreement with Willian is thought to have been reached some time ago and his release from Chelsea coming a week ago when their Champions League season ended, the Mail claims that ‘insiders’ believe Arsenal have delayed his unveiling because it would currently be a bad look.
However, the report points out that the club have denied that is the case.
Even in leaving Chelsea, Willian was always considered likely to stay in London as he loves the city and has even now taken British citizenship. He was briefly linked with Tottenham as a result of his close relationship with manager Jose Mourinho,
Speaking to The Players’ Tribune earlier this year, Willian said, “If you ask my wife if she wants to leave London, she’ll say no. My daughters feel the same way.
“Of course, Brazil is Brazil, right? It’s our home, our culture. We always feel good when we go there on holiday and see family and friends. But London is my second home.
“In fact, I recently passed a British citizenship test. Man, it was hard. As it turned out, I failed on my first two attempts, but got it on the third. I am now a British citizen! So London is where I want to stay. This is where I have my family, my church. I want my daughters to grow up here.”
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Source : 90min