Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is delighted to add Willian to his team, and hinted he could use the player in a number of positions.
Willian played mostly on the right wing for Chelsea but feels his best position is in a central role behind the main striker, according to reports.
Arteta believes Willian can play in three of four positions for his team, saying he does not see him purely as a winger.
‘I believe he’s a player that can really make a difference for us,’ Mikel Arteta said. ‘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.
‘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.’ Willian is happy to play wherever his new manager puts him! ‘Haha, that’s a difficult question,’ he said when asked where he saw himself fitting in at the Emirates.
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‘I don’t know! I leave that to Arteta. I come to help in every position. ‘I can play on the right, I can play in the middle, I can play on the left side as well.
‘So I want to help – in any position where they put me to play, I will try to do my best.’
Edu, Arsenal’s technical director, was also pleased with the signing of the Brazil international.
‘I know him very well, since a long time ago because we’ve been working together for the Brazilian national team and of course I was following him because he played for another club,’ said Edu.
‘He has a lot of fantastic attributes as a person, as a football player of course, his character. ‘I’m 100% sure that everybody in the dressing room, the fans, myself and Mikel will enjoy having Willian in our side.’