I enjoyed myself at Fulham – but I wish I’d never left Chelsea

Willian left Chelsea in 2020 after a contract dispute and made the switch to Arsenal, but things didn't work out for him

Former Chelsea and Fulham player Willian has admitted he regrets his move to Arsenal and wishes he had remained at Stamford Bridge. The Brazilian winger departed Chelsea in 2020 following a contract disagreement and subsequently joined the Gunners.

The 37-year-old forward had sought a three-year deal - despite being 32 at the time - but Chelsea were only prepared to offer him a two-year contract. He ultimately signed for London rivals Arsenal, but the move proved unsuccessful, leading him to make the remarkable decision to waive the final two years of his deal.

Willian was earning £240,000 per week at Arsenal, meaning the contract termination represented a staggering loss of £20.5m. He subsequently returned to boyhood club Corinthians, accepting a 70% reduction in wages.

Following a season with the Brazilian side, Willian made his way back to the Premier League with Fulham, where he rediscovered his form and began enjoying his football once more.

Reflecting on his departure from Chelsea, he acknowledged his regret over the decision. "Yeah. I wish I'd never left," he told Sky Sports.

"Of course it's easy to say now, but when I stop and think about all the situations... I say to myself 'I wish I never left'. It's life. I'm happy now at Fulham, enjoying myself there, this is life.

"I don't know. It was in the middle of the... it was changing a lot. I was excited when I signed with them (Arsenal). I was training hard but it just didn't work, and that's it."

In a 2021 conversation with Rio Ferdinand on YouTube, he also stated: "But I wanted a three-year contract and Chelsea said no. I decided to join Arsenal and also because before we had conversations with Edu and Mikel [Arteta] as well."

"They showed me a good project, they showed me a lot of good stuff that they want to do. It was because of that.

"I wasn't happy, that's why I didn't perform. When I arrived there I was happy, from the beginning I was motivated, I wanted to do well - new club, new mates, new project.

"But after three months, I said to my agent: 'Please, I want to go'. I don't want to speak bad about the club, because it is a big club.

"Arsenal has a big history. In football, big players played there before as well.

"But it didn't work, it didn't work. It was, of course, the most difficult time of my career.

"So I said to myself, with my family, I cannot stay here, I am not happy here. I have to leave, find a way out, leave the club because if I stay I am going to stay the same.

"For me, it's unfair to stay in a place that you don't want to stay just because of the money. For me, it was that."