BRAZILIAN ATTACKING MIDFIELDER Willian formally joined Chelsea from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala today after the two clubs reached agreement last week.
The 25-year-old had been set to join Tottenham Hotspur, having undergone a medical at the north London club earlier this week, only for capital rivals Chelsea to hijack the deal.
British media reports claim Chelsea will pay a fee of around £30 million (€35 million) to secure Willian’s services.
“I’m very happy to be here, it’s been a dream of mine to come and play here,” Willian told Chelsea’s official website on Wednesday.
Chelsea are one of the best clubs in the world and now I’m going to play for one of the best managers (Jose Mourinho) in the world. I’m very happy and looking forward to it,” he said.
Willian is the fourth player to join Chelsea during the current transfer window, following Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, Dutch midfielder Marco van Ginkel and Germany international Andre Schuerrle.
His arrival will further swell the number of attacking midfielders at manager Mourinho’s disposal, with Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Oscar, Victor Moses, Kevin De Bruyne and Schuerrle already competing for just three starting places.
Willian only joined Anzhi from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in January, but he is being moved on after the Russian side’s billionaire owner Suleiman Kerimov decided to restructure the club and drastically shrink their budget.
Speaking before the announcement that an agreement for the transfer had been reached, Mourinho said he felt no sympathy for Spurs despite swiping the player from beneath their noses.
“That’s the danger of medicals before contracts. But you have to do the medical before,” he said.
“The best thing to do is the medical in secret. If the player is fine, you can sign him. If he’s not, you don’t have to destroy his career. Sometimes there are sources who find out everything.”
Allegedly, while Willian was lying face down on the physio table, Jose snuck into the room, shut the door and started to rub his leg.
The rest is history!
That’s the Black Eyed Peas badly depleted, first losing Fergie at the end if last year, now Willan, things are looking bleak.
It was only a dream of his once Chelsea hijacked the deal after his Spurs medical!!
It was his dream to get a few extra grand a week. Which admittedly, is mine too.
Both clubs in London, relatively similar wages and only one of them is in the champions league…I know who I would pick.
@retort. Exactly. C.L football
Love him on ‘The Voice’
Fast forward 12 months and everybody will be saying whose this Willian kid on the Chelsea team sheet, for the Capital One Cup game against Barnet?
Exactly, with Hazard, Oscar, De Bruyne, Schurrle, Lampard, Mata, do they need another attacking midfielder?
No. Needed another holding midfielder.
6 days on from the spurs medical Willian signs for Chelsea and still there’s no sign of Gareth Bales move anywhere yet he hasn’t presented for training, this has shades of Odemwingie about it.
Another midfielder, there’s going to be some rotation this season.
Exactly but it give spurs one less option in midfield and that’s what Mourinho wanted !!!!
All Willian is is a money grabbin BOLX.he won’t get into that Chelsea side as theres already 3 for his position already.Hope for his own sake hes stuck to the bench for the season but of course he might not even care as hes pickin up a big Six Figure sum every week.
Sounds like our Robbie when he dreamt of playing for wolves inter Milan Leeds spurs twice Liverpool Celtic Aston villa and now the yanks that’s a lot of dreaming
Lazy business by Chelsea