Former Tottenham forward and BBC Sport expert Garth Crooks described Chelsea’s decision to let midfielder Willian join London rival Arsenal as madness.
The Brazilian winger made his Arsenal debut on Saturday and, during a massive performance from Craven Cottage, provided a brace of assists to his teammates and played a key role in the third as they rampaged to a win for 3-0.
Alex Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and newcomer Gabriel were all on the scoresheet on what turned out to be a perfect day for Mikel Arteta.
And he must have been delighted with his new arrival, Crooks says, as Lampard watched through his fingers that he had let the star go off in a move that could have cost him dearly.
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“I said last season that Chelsea couldn’t afford to lose him,” Crooks said, speaking to BBC Sport.
“Letting him go to Arsenal’s London rival, of all teams, was madness and could ultimately cost him dearly.
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“Against a Fulham side that was out of their league, Willian produced a debut performance that must have been a harrowing moment for his former manager Frank Lampard.
“The Brazilian was just trying to get his bearings with a free-kick that passed Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rodak and hit the post.”
He added: “He left Craven Cottage with two assists and a 3-0 win.”
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