‘Wenger never would have bought him’ – Arsenal legend slams signing of Willian

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Arsenal legend Tony Adams has slammed the signing of Brazilian veteran Willian and says that former manager Arsene Wenger would never have sanctioned the move.

Willian joined the Gunners on a Bosman transfer in the summer after his contract expired at London rivals Chelsea.

However, the 32-year-old has struggled to make an impact so far at the Emirates, scoring no goals and registering just one shot on target this season.

“That’s lazy recruitment for me,” Adams told Stadium Astro.

“You’ve got to really question the recruitment process at Arsenal at the moment. We’ve had some wonderful players and wonderful principles under Arsene Wenger, he went for a young player, you wouldn’t have even considered Willian if Arsene was still in control at the club.

READ MORE:

• How Haaland has helped move Kane up Man Utd and Chelsea’s shopping list

“For him a forward over the age of 30, physiologically he doesn’t think he can get that player to consistently perform to the levels that Arsene would want him to.

“This is a straightforward agent recommendation, he’s got the same agent [Kia Joorabchian] as the sports director [Edu] so it’s an easy option for him, three-year contract, there we go. I think it’s really poor recruitment.

“As a coach, you’ve been given this player, you wanted this player, but you don’t have to play him.

“He’s not playing [Mesut] Ozil, one of the greatest creative players there is. And to have someone like Willian, one shot in 12 games. I’m like ‘hold on, put [Joe] Willock out there, we’ve got [Gabriel] Martinelli back in there’. You’ve got other options.”

Arsenal are currently languishing in 15^th position in the Premier League after a miserable run of form that has seen them go seven games without a win.

On Saturday afternoon, the Gunners lost 2-1 at Everton.