Interim Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink has urged incoming Chelsea boss Antonio Conte not to sell Brazillian winger Willian. Reports surfaced last week that Chinese Super League giants Guangzhou Evergrande were willing to pay £50 million for the player and double his current wages of £120,000 a week to £240,000.
Willian would not be the first player to move to the Chinese Super League from Chelsea, with the club accepting a £25 million offer for Ramires from Jiangsu Suning in January.
But Hiddink claims it would be a big mistake to sell the Brazillian, who he says can play an integral role for the club now and in the future.
“I have known Willian for many years and as a person he is very down to earth and a nice guy,” Hiddink told Standard Sport.
”When they defend and sacrifice themselves, he has the attitude to do. That’s why he is already, and can be in the future, a key player for this club. On top of that, he is doing a very good job. This year, in a difficult year (for Chelsea), he has been working very hard with his natural ability. “
Willian, who has arguably been Chelsea’s best performer this season with 11 goals and another three assists, was bought from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2014 for £30 million. While it was initially believed the player would play a bit part role, the winger has been one of the few success stories to come out of Chelsea’s season and has regularly demonstrated his hard work rate and consistency.
Having signed a five-year deal upon arrival, Willian still has two years to run on his current contract and while he has apparently been offered an improved deal, he has yet to commit his future to the London outfit.
With the player not yet signing a new deal, new manager Antonio Conte may not be able to say no to a fee of £50 million which could help him buy new players and put his own stamp on an ageing squad.
Chinese clubs demonstrated their immense spending power in the last transfer window when they outspent the Premier League by more than US$100 million on international transfers.
Jiangsu Suning shocked the football world when they signed Liverpool target Alex Teixeira for almost £39 million in the biggest deal of the transfer window, with the club also buying Chelsea’s Ramires.
Overall, Chinese clubs spent £208 million on international signings between January 1 and February 26.
Willian would not feel out of place at Guangzhou Evergrande, with fellow countryman Phil Scolari managing the team, who also signed Brazillian Paulinho from Tottenham for £10 million last year.
Colombian striker Jackson Martinez is another big name to feature for the club after he was signed for £38 million.
