Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Will Willian opt for a big-money Chelsea move?
JOSE MOURINHO hinted that Brazil playmaker Willian has chosen to join Chelsea ahead of Tottenham Hotspur.
British media reported the Anzhi Makhachkala forward was set to join Tottenham in a £30 million deal after a medical at the north London club amid interest from Liverpool.
Chelsea, however, have entered the race to sign the player and manager Mourinho struck an upbeat note when discussing the potential move ahead on their match against Manchester United on Monday.
“I think he’s already made his decision. I don’t like to speak before time because football can betray you,” Mourinho said. “I could not say much in previous conferences. I have to try to be honest and try to hide a few things.
“If you remember, I said I am happy with my squad but every manager says we are happy but we always want something more and we never close the door.”
Willian joined Anzhi from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, but the club’s owner Suleiman Kerimov has tightened the purse-strings at the Dagestan club, with the entire first-team available for sale, according to media reports.
Capped twice by Brazil, Willian can play as an attacking midfielder or out wide.
“That’s the danger of medicals before contracts,” Mourinho said, having seemingly got one over his former protege and current Tottenham manager Andre Villas- Boas, with whom he worked at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan
“The best thing to do is do the medical in secret.”
When asked if the deal was close, Mourinho joked: “We have to do a medical.”
The Portuguese also quashed speculation that Spaniard Juan Mata could be about to leave Stamford Bridge.
“No speculation,” he said. “He is a player we all like, we all want to keep and we want more quality in the team, not less quality. He isn’t a player we want to lose.”
Chelsea could allow some players to leave on loan, however, as Mourinho is wary of working with an unwieldy squad. – Reuters