He signed from Chelsea in 2020, but did not make a lasting impression on the fans.
He told ESPN Brasil: "I arrived at Arsenal during their restructuring. There were a lot of changes internally and I arrived in the middle of it.
"It was a desire I had to go there and I had spoken to Arteta and Edu. I arrived motivated, very happy but as time went on, things didn't go the way I had planned due to several factors.
"When it came to the end of my first season, I talked to them and said 'I don't think it's going to happen here.' I'm a player who needs to feel happy where I am and I couldn't find myself there.
"Then we decided that my contract was going to be terminated, but Arsenal always wanted me to stay, to try for another year. I think the main factor was that I arrived at the club during their restructuring where everything was changing."