Willian reveals extent of Arsenal star’s influence in ditching Chelsea

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New Arsenal winger Willian has revealed the extent to which fellow Brazilian David Luiz convinced him to ditch Chelsea for The Gunners.

Willian put pen to paper on a three-year deal with Arsenal last week after his contract at Stamford Bridge expired.

The Blues were reportedly keen to extend Willian’s stay, but the lure of a three-year deal proved pivotal in negotiations.

With a spotless injury record and years of consistent service behind him, the pick-up has been widely praised as smart business on Mikel Arteta’s behalf.

Now, speaking to Arsenal’s official website, Willian has opened up on the impact Luiz had on his decision.

“He’s [Luiz] very happy,” said Willian. “We played together in the national team, we played together at Chelsea, and now at Arsenal again.

“I think we can do great things together, I hope so, but I’m very happy to be with him again.

“He said, ‘Come to Arsenal, come to Arsenal, I want you to come!’ So that was the conversation.

Luiz Arsenal TEAMtalk

“He is a very nice guy, a top player and I’m very excited to play with him again.

“Of course [he helped in the past], many times. Many times when I had difficult times at Chelsea he was helping me a lot.

“He is this kind of person that wants to help, especially young players without experience. He is the guy that helps everyone.”

 

Ceballos approach backfires?

Ceballos Arsenal TEAMtalk

Meanwhile, Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos has reportedly earmarked former side Real Betis as a potential next destination amid continued uncertainty over his future.

Ceballos spent this season on loan at Arsenal, returning to Spain after the protracted Premier League season.

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, he is aware that game time in Madrid could be hard to come by. He is unlikely to feature much in Zinedine Zidane’s plans.

What’s more, Zidane is likely to test Martin Odegaard out next season after his impressive spell with Real Sociedad.

As such, Ceballos is in limbo and, in Arsenal’s case, the Gunners have reportedly made a new loan offer for the midfielder.

Arsenal have made a “downward” proposal, refusing to pay more for his transfer than they did last time. Additionally, the Gunners only wanted to pay half his salary, something Madrid president Florentino Perez has rejected.

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