Gaël Kakuta. The forgotten footballer. The teenage prodigy that Chelsea went to so much trouble to acquire that a transfer embargo was placed on them by FIFA. Little over a year ago, he accused Chelsea of having ‘too many’ creative midfielders, well, he’s got a point. Eden Hazard, Oscar, Juan Mata, Marko Marin, Yossi Benayoun, Victor Moses, Frank Lampard and Ramires were all competing for the 3 spots behind the striker at the time. Marin, Benayoun and Moses were all shipped out at the end of the turbulent 2012/13 season, which ultimately was a qualified success under Rafael Benitez. Mourinho returned, only to bundle Kakuta off to Vitesse and sign André Schürrle and Willian for a combined £48 million. I ask the question: why?
The signing of Schürrle was understandable. He enjoyed his best season ever in 2012/13, scoring 14 goals and racking up 9 assists for Bayer Leverkusen. The deal was effectively done before Mourinho’s arrival. The signing of Willian, however, was less comprehensible. Tottenham were on the verge of signing the then uncapped Brazilian for £30 million, a player who had no real experience at the highest level, barring 5 games in the Champions League with Shakhtar Donetsk, in a season where he scored twice at the Bridge for Shakhtar and Chelsea failed to qualify for the last 16.
Willian was quick to silence the fans who were sceptic of why Chelsea had splashed out £30 million on him with his stunning, curling left foot rocket on his first Chelsea appearance, against Norwich. During his debut season with the Blues, Willian was praised for his outstanding work rate, balancing tracking back with his significant offensive contribution. He had soon established himself as a key player in Chelsea’s first team and had very much secured the right-wing spot ahead of the inconsistent Schürrle and fan favourite Juan Mata. Just in case Chelsea didn’t have enough creative midfielders already, Chelsea signed Mohamed Salah from FC Basel for £11m. Willian finished the season after having bagged 4 goals and notched 2 assists, which, in my opinion, isn’t the greatest return from a £30 million investment. Bear in mind that’s just £2 million less than arguably one of the best players in the league at the moment, Eden Hazard.
After André Schürrle’s heroics from the bench in Brazil, Mourinho gave him the nod ahead of Willian, who endured a considerably less successful World Cup, as Schürrle started our first game of the season against Burnley, in which he rounded off a spectacular team goal. It seemed as if Schürrle was going to have a terrific season, it was not to be. Schürrle came down with a bout of flu and was, apparently, suffering from ‘World Cup hangover’. Willian swiftly regained his regular right-wing position. His displays this season, however, have been extremely disappointing. Last season he was praised for his ability to balance his defensive duties with attacking influence, this season he is a passenger. A side striving for every trophy available cannot afford a passenger. His performances have been lacklustre, uncreative, and, to put it bluntly, dull. Willian’s attacking impetus has disappeared out of thin air. Numbers don’t lie. His one goal in the league this season was a tap in from a yard out against Aston Villa. He’s staggeringly less creative- he created almost 3 times more chances last season per 90 minutes. What’s changed? We’re playing in the same formation, Willian’s playing alongside the same right back in Branislav Ivanovic. His one moment of magic this season came against Watford in the FA Cup, with a goal not too dissimilar from his first goal for Chelsea. His moments of magic come too few and too far between.
Where has it all gone wrong for Willian this season? His attacking influence, which was overlooked last season due to the sheer brilliance of Hazard, has almost vanished. He scored 3 times as many goals per 90 minutes last season, despite the fact he’s taking more shots per game this season.
Compared to Hazard and Oscar, his creative partners-in-crime, Willian’s statistics are lacklustre. It is time for a change. Mourinho and Chelsea have to sign an attacking player who is naturally right-sided, can score goals, provide assists, and do his defensive duties. Juan Cuadrado seems the most obvious option, and hopefully Chelsea’s negotiators can find an agreement with Fiorentina. As for Willian, the man who, according to the Chelsea faithful ‘saw the light’: has to do more
