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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Reiss Tigwell

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba trolls Arsenal over 'agent' Willian's failed transfer

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba could not hold back from trolling Arsenal over ‘agent’ Willian after the midfielder was allowed to leave the club.

Willian joined the Gunners last summer from London rivals Chelsea on a free transfer and reportedly earned £220,000-a-week.

However, the Brazilian’s spell in north London was disappointing to say the least and both parties came to a mutual agreement to terminate his contract last month so he could re-join Corinthians.

Willian scored just once in 25 Premier League appearances last season and was a key part of an Arsenal side which finished eighth for the second consecutive season in a row.

At Chelsea, Willian was a mainstay in a team which won two Premier League titles, the Europa League, FA Cup and EFL Cup across seven seasons at the club.

And now Drogba has rubbed salt in the wound by referencing other successful Chelsea players who went on to have a difficult time at the Emirates.

The former Chelsea star wrote on Twitter : “Thank you agent Willian, your mission is over, like David Luiz and Petr Cech.”

The Czech goalkeeper spent the final four years of his career in north London, before leaving to re-join Chelsea as a technical and performance advisor.

Luiz joined Arsenal in 2019, and like Cech, endured a torrid spell at the Gunners which saw him responsible for more errors leading to goals than any other player in the Premier League.

Brazilian midfielder Willian recently took to social media to apologise to Arsenal fans for his less than impressive time at the Emirates.

Where will Arseanal finish in the Premier League this season? Let us know in the comments section.

(Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

"All my career I have done everything to be the best I can be - I always want to win and I find it hard to accept not doing so," the 33-year-old wrote on Instagram.

"Unfortunately it didn't happen for me at Arsenal and I am sorry about that."

The 33-year-old also also had a message for critics who claimed he had only joined the Gunners for monetary reasons last summer.

"Unfortunately things on the pitch didn't go the way we had all planned and hoped - I received a lot of criticism, especially from some members of the press, [suggesting] that I had come here for financial reasons," said Willian.

"I hope with my actions today [I] explain [that] to those people and they now understand that was not the case.

"I hope it teaches some people that they should not be so quick to pass judgement and create bad environments to make themselves important, even though I accept that's part of the game."

Meanwhile, Willian’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, has hit out at Arsenal and claimed his client made the right choice to terminate his contract and leave the club at the end of last month.

Kia Joorabchian wasn't pleased with Willian's treatment at Arsenal (Getty Images)

“He terminated his contract and he did it willingly, he’s probably one of the first players to do so,” Joorabchian told talkSPORT on Tuesday.

“Previously players, especially at Arsenal, have sat their contracts out, but he wasn’t one of them.

“When he joined, he sincerely joined because he was very much at the centre of Arteta’s thinking.

“Arteta made several presentations to Willian and made it clear he would be the focus point of how he would build the team around him.

“Willian had an offer from Chelsea to extend for two more years, but he wanted three years and he made the move. Unfortunately it didn’t work out for him.

“He was getting very heavily criticised over why he made the move here, but none of the things that have been suggested have been the case.

“I spoke to Arsenal. I had a meeting with Arteta and [technical director] Edu, they explained this has not gone well and I spoke to Willian.

“I don’t think it benefits any party to just let someone sit there for the sake of sitting there. When things go wrong, both sides should consider the fact it’s gone wrong and you need to find a solution.

“I think Willian did the right thing, he went for the project and the project wasn’t there.

“Unfortunately, I’d have to say, which player has moved to Arsenal that has not been a disaster in the last couple of years?”

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