The 35-year-old joined newly-promoted Fulham last summer and helped Marco Silva’s side to a top-ten finish in the Premier League.
If a certain Aleksandar Mitrovic didn’t get banned for eight games, then there is every chance they could have made Europe, with Willian playing a huge part in those strong performances.
Arsenal fans, and Mikel Arteta, will be wondering where on earth these performances were when he was playing for them, with Tony Cascarino stating that he looked like a ‘spent force’ at the Emirates Stadium, as he told talkSPORT.
Ironically enough, Willian’s life as an Arsenal player started in a brilliant fashion when he assisted two on his debut against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
But that’s when everything went downhill, as he only managed one more goal and three more assists for the rest of the campaign.
Willian ‘running amok’ at Fulham
“Willian is a 35-year-old,” said Cascarino. “Where has he found his form? He ran amok down the left. It was a continual problem for Sheffield United.
“Wow. He has found his career from a player that looked like he had been finished when he joined Arsenal. When he left Chelsea to go to Arsenal, a lot of Arsenal fans would have been excited by Willian. He never got going. At All.But he has gone away, come back a couple of years later and he has been absolutely sensational for Fulhjam over the last year. Marco Silva was praising him to the hill about how good of a player he has been for them.
“He looked like a spent force when he joined Arsenal. But still, he is going down that left. Running amok and he is going past people. Looking to cut inside and outside. A real surprise.”
Arsenal Pre-Season Training Session
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
When did Willian leave Arsenal?
Arsenal brought Willian in as a free transfer during the 2020/21 season following his departure from Chelsea during the COVID-hit 2019/2020 campaign.
But 12 months later, his contract was getting ripped up, he was out of the door and returning to Brazil.
At that moment, many would have felt that his career in the top European leagues was over.
But Willian clearly had other ideas because he has proven many people wrong with his performances, and in truth, Marco Silva also deserves credit for getting the best out of him.
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