One former Arsenal player has revealed that he asked for his contract to be terminated even though Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta wanted him to stay.

The Gunners had to tear up quite a few of their players’ deals to get them out of the club during Arteta’s first few years in charge.

Arsenal‘s owners and Edu backed the Spaniard in those situations, and that has proved to be the right decision as the North Londoners have been transformed into one of the best clubs in the world now.

One player has now claimed that it was actually his decision to rip up his contract.

Willian shares what really happened before his Arsenal contract was terminated

Arsenal signed Willian on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer of 2020.

The Brazilian was brought in for his experience. Mikel Arteta felt he could not only deliver the goods for Arsenal but also help the younger players in the squad.

However, things just didn’t work out for Willian at Arsenal.

The former Chelsea man only spent a season at the Emirates. He scored just one goal that campaign and came under enormous criticism for his performances.

At the end of that season, Willian and Arsenal decided to part ways, and his contract was terminated to allow him to leave the club.

The Brazilian, to this day, is arguably the most disappointing signing Arsenal have made under Arteta.

Now, Willian has revealed that the Gunners actually wanted him to stay, but he decided he wasn’t enjoying it and asked them to get rid of him.

He told ESPN Brazil: “I arrived when Arsenal was going through an overhaul, changing a lot of things internally, and I arrived in the middle of it.

“I’d wanted to go there, I’d spoken to Arteta too, to Edu. I arrived motivated, very happy and, as time went by, things didn’t work out the way we’d hoped for various reasons

“When it came to the end of the first season, I spoke to them and said: I don’t think it’s going to work out here. I’m a player who needs to feel happy where I am, and here I can’t find myself. So we decided to terminate my contract, but Arsenal always wanted me to stay, to try for another year.

“I think the main factor was that I caught the club in the middle of a revamp, changing everything. A lot of people have said: ‘Wait a bit longer, have a bit of patience’. But you know when you’re not feeling happy, when you’re in a place just for the money, it’s not very enjoyable, you know?

“Going somewhere just for the contract… I’m not that kind of person, I have to feel good.”

READ MORE: Willian says his family thought he was ‘crazy’ for what he did at Arsenal

The one reason why Willian deserves praise from Arsenal fans

Willian will be the first one to agree that his time at Arsenal was terrible.

The Fulham man looked nothing like his usual self at the Emirates. Almost everything he tried to do, failed, and that put him in the firing line.

After a disappointing season, Willian could’ve easily just put his feet up and continued receiving the staggering £240,000-a-week wages for another two years.

However, he decided to give his salary up and ripped his contract. That helped Arsenal save £20.5 million (Sky Sports).

Arsenal fans can say whatever they want about Willian’s performances, but he deserves a ton of praise for leaving the club without costing Arsenal a ton of money.