Arsenal got their 2021/22 campaign off to a bitterly disappointing start, losing 2-0 to newly-promoted Brentford on Friday night.
The Gunners were outclassed for the majority of the contest, lacking any killer instinct in the box whilst also looking extremely shaky at the back, with new £50m signing Ben White struggling on Arsenal debut.
The 23-year-old was signed to replace David Luiz, who left the Emirates Stadium this summer following a turbulent two-year stint at the club. Luiz featured 73 times for the Gunners and was notably inconsistent during his spell in north London.
The 34-year-old combined a collection of errors and red cards with some rock-solid displays at the back, including commanding performances in the semi-final and final of the 2020 FA Cup as Mikel Arteta's side lifted the trophy for the 14th time following a 2-1 win against the Blues in the Wembley showpiece.
And the veteran centre-half has revealed why he parted ways with the club, citing the long-term project under Arteta as the main reason for the decision.
"Both of us decided to split," he told The Daily Mail. "I came for two years and the aim was to win something, which I did (the FA Cup and Community Shield).
"Now, I think the club has a different project for the long term. They have different ideas. My idea is to win, win, win as soon as possible."
The Gunners have finished ninth in each of their two Premier League campaigns under Arteta's stewardship and former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand agrees with Luiz on the current direction of the club.
“With Arsenal, I know they’re building and [Mikel] Arteta is trying to build something and he’s setting the foundations there, but they’re in no man’s land", Ferdinand admitted on his FIVE YouTube channel.
“They’re not a threat to anybody. You don’t consider them a real threat at all and it’s not just the Arsenal that I played against with Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Martin Keown, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole."
