Chelsea are keen to remind London rivals Tottenham that Willian has eluded them.
In 2013, the Blues – 2012 Champions League winners – showcased their transfer power in one of the Premier League’s most brutal transfer thefts as they pressured the Brazil international.
3
Spurs were keen on a signing, then 25-year-old Anzhi Makhachkala star and manager Andre Villas-Boas believed a deal was all but over the line.
A medical was scheduled for Willian, a player he planned to bring to the club with some of the money he got from selling Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for £85 million this summer.
But then Chelsea spoke up. Former owner Roman Abramovich contacted Anzhi owner Suleyman Kerimov, and the rest is history.
Liverpool were also said to have shown interest, but Chelsea eventually signed Willian on a five-year contract worth around £30 million.
In 2018, he told Brazilian TV show Resenha that it was actually his preference to sign for the Blues, and revealed that his agent Kia Joorabchian had informed him of the Blues’ offer when he went for his scheduled medical arrived at Spurs’ training ground, as is usual for players to sign for new clubs.
“I said, ‘Well, deal with it, I’ll get back in the van, you get along and I’ll go to Chelsea, I won’t sign for Tottenham.'”
But it wasn’t made easy for him as he was warned about the consequences of the impending turnaround.
“I stayed there in the training center for eight hours. The Tottenham director said: ‘I’ll report you to FIFA, this and that, the fans here in England will boo you, this and that.’ They came up with a lot of things.
“I was stuck there for eight hours. Then I went and met directly with the Chelsea people to sort out the details and sign.”
And just to get to the point, he told the media upon joining: “Chelsea is one of the best clubs in the world” and expressed his joy at playing for Jose Mourinho, who he described as “one of the best managers”. .
3
The bad blood between the clubs didn’t help, the fans were bitter enemies and there seemed to be war in the boardroom too.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy refused to sell Luka Modric to Chelsea despite a £40million offer and the midfielder’s desire to leave. There was also tension between managers Jose Mourinho and Villas-Boas at the time. They worked together at Porto, Chelsea and Inter but the relationship has deteriorated.
Regardless, Willian made his debut for the club a few weeks later in the 2-1 Champions League defeat to Basel.
In his first Premier League appearance, he scored just five minutes after coming on as a substitute in the 3-1 win at Norwich.
Chelsea fans were clearly delighted with the player’s decision to choose them over Tottenham, so much so that they created a new chant in his name.
During his time at the club, fans could be heard chanting: “To hell with Spurs, they booked his flight, but Willian, he saw the light, he got a call from Abramovich and off he went to Stamford Bridge.” He hates Tottenham, he hates Tottenham, he hates Tottenham and he hates Tottenham!”
Even Mourinho laughed at the time.
3
“This is the danger of doctor visits before contracts,” said the Stamford Bridge boss with a smile on his face.
Willian played 339 times for Chelsea over seven seasons, scoring 63 goals in all competitions.
In his 17 appearances against Spurs, he scored four goals and provided one assist.
And while he won two Premier League titles in west London, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League, Spurs are still waiting for their first trophy since 2008.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Willian made Tottenham sick again by signing for north London rivals Arsenal in 2020.
He spent a season at the Emirates Stadium before returning to Corinthians in his native Brazil for a year before returning to England and joining Fulham in 2022.
The winger eventually left London in 2024 for Greek club Olympiakos Piraeus, but is now being linked with a return to England in 2025.
ESPN in Brazil reports that two top clubs have held talks about bringing the 36-year-old back to the Premier League.
Speaking about his time in London, he told the Evening Standard in 2023: “London is everything.”
“My family and I love being Londoners, we are happy to be back and living in London. It is one of the best cities in the world.” His goal was also to play football at the highest level until he was 37 or 38 years old.
It suggests a London club could be his next destination, but it’s safe to say it won’t be Spurs.
Follow the latest transfer news in The Pitch Prospect’s daily blog