Just Willian

**Hutchinson56** · 21st January 2012, 10:38

All I know about Willian is that he's 23 years old, he's a Brazilian midfielder, and he plays for Shakhtar Donetsk. And according to the Mail we've put a bid in for him:

EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea bid £20m for Shakhtar star Willian

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has launched a £20million bid for Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian midfielder Willian.

The skilful 23-year-old shot to prominence last year with a series of outstanding performances which guided Shakhtar to the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in the club's history.

Willian, who can play on the left of midfield or behind the strikers, was pivotal in their defeat of Roma - scoring twice as Shakhtar ran out 6-2 aggregate winners over the bewildered Italians.

His virtuoso display made him a prime target for Arsenal. Manager Arsene Wenger tried to sign him last summer but was put off by Shakhtar's asking price.

However, Chelsea manager Villas-Boas believes Willian's extra pace and flair is worth paying for and hopes Roman Abramovich can strike a deal. Ukrainian club Shakhtar will not sell easily as they value the Brazil international, full name Willian Borges da Silva, at £30m.

But Abramovich is hopeful he can reach a compromise and give Chelsea a fresh injection of flair to go alongside Juan Mata. The move could put an end to negotiations for Lille's Eden Hazard.

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**Dkw** · 21st January 2012, 11:17

Ive got a feeling......we will sign him.

Sorry.

**Hutchinson56** · 21st January 2012, 11:23

Why sorry?

If we do sign him he'll be just our Willian.

**AVB** · 21st January 2012, 11:31

I also got a feeling this is true.
Haven't really seen him play, but im sure if AVB really put a bid for him, he should have some kind of talent

**AVB** · 23rd January 2012, 04:42

Updates from the Daily Mail:

Shakhtar warn Chelsea midfielder Willian won't leave for any less than £28m

Shakhtar Donestsk have confirmed Chelsea's interest in Willian and that the player is keen to move.

Sportsmail revealed that Chelsea have offered £20m for the Brazilian and Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin said: 'If a big club offers serious money for our player, we will always consider its proposal.

'Willian expressed his desire to test himself in the Premier League.

'Willian's contract involves a minimum release clause of £32m. But we are ready to let him go for £28m.

'It is important to understand that we are talking about Chelsea's desire to buy Willian, but not Shakhtar's desire to sell him.'

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**Hutchinson56** · 23rd January 2012, 08:53

On the other hand AVB had this to say about our current interest in the player:

Willian is a very interesting player, but he is cup tied in the Champions League.

"I don't think we should go for players who cannot be involved in all the competitions.

"We are not stressed regarding what we can do in this transfer window. If a good opportunity arises, we could study it, but at the moment, we are very satisfied.

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**AVB** · 23rd January 2012, 11:42

Im not sure if we will sign anyone then.
Transfer window will be closing soon, and If we want a good player, he is most likely going to be cup tied.

**Hutchinson56** · 23rd January 2012, 23:06

Jason Burt in the Telegraph seems convinced we'll be able to sign him comparatively on the cheap. However, he also states that contrary to popular belief, we have yet to submit a formal bid for the player:

Chelsea told £16.8 million Willian bid will be enough for Roman Abramovich's club to land highly rated Brazilian
Roman Abramovich’s friendship with the billionaire owner of Shakhtar Donetsk is the key to Chelsea signing Brazil striker Willian.

Chelsea have not yet submitted a formal bid for the 23-year-old forward but Rinat Akhmetov, credited as Ukraine’s richest man, has personally informed Abramovich that a bid of more than £16.7 million will be accepted. The two men have poured millions into their respective clubs and have been business associates.

It is understood that Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas rejected an opportunity to sign Willian last summer, preferring to pursue other targets such as Juan Mata to reshape his squad.

Villas-Boas has been offered the chance to sign Willian during this transfer window but it is believed he remains undecided over the player’s suitability and wants first to concentrate on other targets.

However, Abramovich is believed to be keen on Willian – who can play as a winger or an attacking midfielder – and could make a bid before the transfer window closes if other potential signings have fallen through.

Having let Nicolas Anelka leave, and signed defender Gary Cahill for £7 million, Villas-Boas is looking to recruit an attacking player and had hoped to bring the Serbian Milos Krasic on loan from Juventus. The Italian club, however, were interested only in a permanent deal.

Chelsea refused because the winger has endured a difficult campaign. They have inquired about other names on Villas-Boas’s short list but are frustrated at being quoted hugely inflated prices.

The club understand that they need more players with creativity and pace, hence the interest in the likes of Luka Modric and Porto’s Joao Moutinho. However, they are thought not to be interested in signing Lille’s Eden Hazard.

There is a release clause of more than £25 million but no one expects that to be met. Over the weekend, Villas-Boas said that Willian, who Shakhtar bought for £12 million from Brazilian club Corinthians in 2007, was an “interesting player” but added that he wanted signings who are not cup-tied for European competition.

Meanwhile, a scan has revealed that Frank Lampard suffered a small tear to a calf muscle during the Premier League draw against Norwich City on Saturday and will miss this weekend’s FA Cup tie at Queens Park Rangers.

However, he is expected to join the rest of the Chelsea squad at their training camp in Majorca this week and be fit for the Premier League match at home to Manchester United on Saturday week.

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**JacksonvilleChelseaFan** · 24th January 2012, 01:07

Originally Posted by Hutchinson56

Jason Burt in the Telegraph seems convinced we'll be able to sign him comparatively on the cheap. However, he also states that contrary to popular belief, we have yet to submit a formal bid for the player:

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i read in another article on the FC website saying that his manager instructed him that they would not be taking bids less that 28m.... IMO it would be more beneficial to go for hazard for the extra 10m and call it a day... neymar and him have the largest future potential IMO, but neymar seems off of chelsea's radar so i would say shoot for hazard.

**JacksonvilleChelseaFan** · 24th January 2012, 05:17

not to mention the team is 1-2-3(W-D-L) in there champion league table.... they are practically done.

**AVB** · 24th January 2012, 05:21

A lot of misleading reports.

I think maybe, Willian will be the last option for us, if we fail to find a decent player by the end of the January transfer window.

**AVB** · 24th January 2012, 18:14

I wonder what the odds are for us signing him?

Will we even sign another player this transfer window? Still got about a week left.

**Hutchinson56** · 24th January 2012, 19:17

All I know is that there's the usual Transfer Special on Chelsea TV on the last day of the Transfer Window. Which might well be worth watching if we haven't already concluded all our transfer dealings.

As you say, there's still another week to go, and a week can be one hell of a long time in football.

**Hutchinson56** · 26th January 2012, 07:44

If the following article on ESPN is anything to go by, Willian is well up for a move to Stamford Bridge:

Willian sets sights on Chelsea move

Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian playmaker Willian has spoken of his desire to secure a move to Chelsea.

The Blues have been linked with a £16 million bid for a player described as "interesting" by Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas.

Villas-Boas played down talk of a January bid, claiming he was not keen on bringing in players who are cup tied in the Champions League - as Willian is - but the midfielder has not been put off and is eager to move to Stamford Bridge.

"They have a culture of winning trophies and that excites me," Willian told The Sun. "Chelsea are known as one of the biggest and most successful clubs around.

"To play for them is a challenge I would accept and enjoy.

"If a deal doesn't go through, I'll understand. But I hope it happens."

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**Mehitabel** · 26th January 2012, 09:03

It's good to know someone remembers that we have a history of winning trophies!

**AVB** · 26th January 2012, 15:34

I was watching some of the videos of him on youtube, I must say he likes to take players on and he has some skill too.
He is still young and im sure he still has a lot in him.

I support his move to Chelsea.

**Hutchinson56** · 27th January 2012, 14:37

Not happening says AVB. At least for the time being. The fact that the player is already cup-tied and therefore unavailable had already been mentioned, but now it seems there's also a problem with the work permit.

AVB rules out Willian move

Andre Villas-Boas has dismissed suggestions Chelsea have launched a bid for Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian playmaker Willian.

Reports earlier this week suggested the Blues had made a £16 million offer for the 23-year-old, but Villas-Boas has crushed any talk of an offer - although he did not rule out an approach in future.

"I think he's an extremely interesting player but I don't think we are going to progress with our interest," he said. "Because of certain issues. From work permit to the player's valuation, I think our project next year is more important than the actual project at the moment.

"Not that Willian doesn't have the characteristics for the future, we are thinking a lot on what we can do next year. Clubs are asking for a lot of money, and not a lot of money is around in society and in football at the moment. The January market is always extra inflated and you have to take that into account."

Willian, capped two times by Brazil, would have been ineligible for this season's Champions League even if he did sign for Chelsea, as he has already featured in European competition for Shakhtar.

Meanwhile, Villas-Boas has revealed he is not taking an active part in the potential signing of Genk midfielder Kevin de Bruyne. "You have to speak to people at the club regarding that," he said. "Kevin is a player that is club policy, he's a player that is not within my immediate project, he's a player that the club has scouted for quite some time - I'm a manager that respects club policies as well.

"The club has to respect the future, whether it be with this manager or the next manager. Kevin is an extremely interesting player."

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