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The Gunners’ new kid made an impressive debut against Fulham on Saturday, adding two assists in a 3-0 win.
Mikel Arteta says Willian’s appetite for adding even more trophies to his streak of honors was key to his decision to trade Chelsea for Arsenal this summer.
And it was that desire for more after seven trophy-laden years in West London that convinced Arteta that the two-time Premier League winner would be the perfect addition to his young squad, despite his 32nd birthday. .
Willian made his full debut for the Gunners on Saturday and showed he still has a lot of life left in him, setting up two goals when Fulham was sidelined 3-0 at Craven Cottage. The Brazilian won the man of the match award for his performance.
It was a brilliant display of the new kid, who won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League during his seven-year stay at Stamford Bridge.
For some players who have enjoyed such success, their desire to remain at the highest level and win even more could diminish as they approach the later stages of their careers, which is why many are now heading to the United States. or to the Middle East before retiring. .
But when Arteta met with Willian to discuss a move to the capital in early summer, he says it was clear how much the attacking midfielder wanted to accomplish.
“With some players when that [winning trophies] It happened that they had a full stomach but with Willian I had the opposite feeling, that he wanted more and that he wanted to move to a different club and reach the level he had before, ”said the Arsenal manager.
“So I am very happy because it showed [at Fulham] how much he really wants it and how much he’s going to push the other players to achieve it. “
It is clear that Willian has adapted well to his new surroundings at Arsenal and has already become a respected figure at his new club.
And Arteta believes that the winning mentality that the Brazilian brings after such a successful spell at Chelsea will rub off on his new teammates at the Emirates Stadium.
“That’s what we’re waiting for,” said the Gunners boss.
“We have a lot of young players with great talent and a great future, but they need some role models and I think Willian is a very good one to have in place because he doesn’t talk much in the locker room, but he does on the field and that’s it. a good way to do it. “
After such a positive end to last season, culminating in an FA Cup win against Chelsea at Wembley, it was important for Arsenal to start their new season quickly at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
And the convincing 3-0 win, which saw Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and new signing Gabriel on target, did just that.
It was another impressive performance from Arteta’s side, one that featured excellent football, and Arteta says he is well aware of his team’s need to try to entertain when they can.
“It’s the DNA of this soccer club and how they raised me as a footballer, so I don’t see it any other way,” said the Spaniard. “But we also have to be efficient and we have to adapt.
“Sometimes we can do certain things against certain rivals and in another game we have to do something different because what I like the most is winning.
“I want to take the team to a level that performs as high as the team can perform and be the best that we can.
“We have done it in a match, there are still many things that we need to improve both collectively and individually.
“We have another week now to train and next week we go again. What i see is them [the players] They are not happy with the last two trophies, they want more and they want to speed up this process and hopefully they are enjoying it too.
“Time will tell where we are at the end of the season, my only goal is to make things right for the next weekend and move on.”
