Brazil international Willian Borges has joined Arsenal on a free transfer after leaving London rivals Chelsea.
The 32-year-old parted ways with the Blues after refusing to renew his contract, and has now signed a three-year deal with the Gunners.
Willian spent seven years at Stamford Bridge, having joined from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2013.
The winger said he was looking forward to meeting his Arsenal teammates, adding that he hopes to repay the club’s fate in him.
🆕 New club. New colours. New beginnings.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 14, 2020
👋 Welcome to The Arsenal, @WillianBorges88! 🔴 pic.twitter.com/B7Tl01BXLe
“I’m excited about the Arsenal project and am grateful to the management team at the club for all their efforts and their trust in me,” he wrote on Twitter.
“I now look forward to getting back on the pitch, training and playing alongside my new teammates and being able to repay all the faith shown in me! I am sure that these will be successful times for all of us!”
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta also expressed confidence that Willian “can really make a difference for us.”
“We have been monitoring him for the past few months, we had a clear intention to strengthen in the attacking midfielder and the winger positions [and] he is a player that gives us a lot of versatility, he can play in three or four different positions,” the Spaniard said.
“He has the experience of everything in the football world but to still have the ambition to come here and contribute to bring the club where it belongs.
“I have been really impressed with all the talks I have had with him and how much he wanted to come.”
