Should Chelsea be looking to retain the services of Willian Borges da Silva, more popularly known simply as Willian, going forward? Surely, the answer has to be yes. The man is a game changer.
The 30-year-old Brazilian may be in the autumn of his career, but he still has a lot to offer and after all, he was called up by the Brazilian team manager as a replacement for the injured Neymar which that says it all.
Willian joined Chelsea back in August 2013 for a fee of £31.95-million. He made his first Premiership appearance on the 6th of October in an away game against Norwich City. The Blues won by three goals to one with Willian as one of Chelsea’s scorers.
Before he went to Stamford Bridge, Blues’ fans were already well aware of who he was and what his capabilities were. He was part of the Shakhtar Donetsk team that Chelsea played at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League in 2012. In a great display, he scored twice, and it was only a late goal scored by Victor Moses in injury time that gave the Blues a last-minute victory.
His best season to date at Stamford Bridge was undoubtedly 2015/2016. Although that season didn’t offer much for Chelsea fans to celebrate, Willian’s set pieces shone through the gloom, and it came as no big surprise when fans and players alike joined forces in naming him the Chelsea player of the year.
In November of the following year (2017), the Brazilian made his 200th appearance for the club. It was against Qarabag in the Champions League, a game that Chelsea won by four goals to nil, two of which were scored by Willian.
Last year, Barcelona made three bids to tempt Willian away from Stamford Bridge, the last said to be worth £55 million. However, when Barca re-initiated interest again in January, Maurizio Sarri said that he would not agree to him leaving, stating that he was too important to the club.
With Sarri now history, just as Danny Murphy predicted in an interview back in February, it is thought that Frank Lampard, who the Chelsea faithful are hoping will be the new appointee, will have plans to hang on to the now 30-year old.
At the moment, Willian is on duty for his country as Brazil play hosts to the Copa America 2019 tournament. Before the competition began, the winger/attacking midfielder had played 65 times for his country scoring eight goals. This year’s Copa American has already seen him score twice, once from the penalty spot against Paraguay, and this superb long-range effort against Peru.
He can play a vital role in Brazil, winning the Copa America tournament in front of their home crowd.
Take a look at this YouTube clip showing him at his best like the true and natural Brazilian footballer that he is. We know Willian hopes Lampard will be the Blues next manager. Let’s hope that if and when he does arrive at the Bridge that he will utilise the Brazilian’s skills freely and regularly to make the club serious contenders once again.
