What’s the story?
Chelsea winger Willian has come out and said that former boss Jose Mourinho tried to bring him to Manchester United in the summer of 2016. Following a dismal 2015/16 season where the Blues finished 10th only a season after winning the Premier League title, Willian was one of the few standout performers with 11 goals to his name.
“There were enquiries, yes,” Willian confirmed to Globo Esporte. “It was from Manchester United because Mourinho is there too.
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“From other clubs, I don't know but there are always some things on the internet. I'm glad to hear that there are clubs that admire my work.”
In case you didn’t know...
The Brazilian was signed by Chelsea in 2013 just when Mourinho had taken charge of the club again for a second stint. In spite of not playing enough internationals to qualify as a non-EU player, he was given a work permit as the London club signed him for £30 million on a five-year contract.
Willian was part of the squad that won the Premier League and League Cup in the successful 2014/15 season. However, the defending champions struggled to find the same level of consistency and it was Willian who saved them points on a number of occasions, especially with his free-kicks.
The heart of the matter
Ever since Antonio Conte took over at Stamford Bridge, the 28-year-old has found starts hard to come by. In 2015/16, Willian started 32 league games. In this season, he has only made 12 starts and come off the bench eight times.
The Italian manager prefers to play Pedro and Eden Hazard on the wings with Diego Costa leading the line. Willian has only started when Conte requires a player who can track back often as his work-rate is much higher than Pedro’s.
At the same time, Mourinho has struggled to find the right players to play on either side of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He has deployed Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in most games, chopping and changing the lineup every other game and has not yet found a set starting lineup.
What’s next?
Willian has reportedly received offers from clubs in Europe and China but he is in no mood to move to the Chinese Super League yet. But at the same time, he did not rule out a possible move in the future. The player also claimed that he was happy to play in the Premier League and feels like Chelsea is his home.
Sportskeeda’s take
Considering the work rate of Mata and Mkhitaryan with Willian, it is understandable why Mourinho would try and sign a hardworking player like the Chelsea winger. Mourinho may try again this summer as he gets set for his second season at Old Trafford – and we all know the Portuguese manager does well in his second season after instilling his philosophy and making the right signings.
If he can convince him, he will have to shell out quite a bit of money to sign him as he currently has a contract till 2020. And even if he does decide to leave Chelsea, Chinese clubs will also be in the picture to sign him up.
