SURROUNDED by youngsters in Frank Lampard’s new look Chelsea side this season, Willian is something of an exceptional case. Unlike so many at Stamford Bridge looking to take the club back to the top of the Premier League, the Brazilian has already been there. Twice. He’s admired the view from the summit of the English game.
Indeed, there are few in the Chelsea dressing room right now as decorated as Willian; a two-time Premier League champion, FA Cup, League Cup and two-time Europa League/ UEFA Cup winner. And yet the 31-year-old consistently finds himself the target of intense scrutiny from his own supporters. It’s been this way for years.
Rival clubs don’t share this view. In fact, Willian has been the subject of much interest from some of Europe’s best clubs for the past two years. Barcelona had a £50 million bid rejected for the winger back in 2018 with Jose Mourinho also reportedly keen on taking his former Chelsea player to Manchester United at the time. Now, with Willian out of contract at the end of the season, Liverpool are believed to be interested and Mourinho, now at Tottenham Hotspur, is still monitoring the situation.
So what is it about Willian that splits opinion so drastically, that makes the argument over his presence at Stamford Bridge so heated? What is it that so many Chelsea supporters see in the Brazilian that other clubs clearly don’t, and vice versa? Is there something that one side is missing?
Keep in mind that Willian is still a key figure for Chelsea. Lampard may have introduced a number of young players into his squad this season, with Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Billy Gilmour all earning places, but the 31-year-old remains his first pick on the right side of his attacking line, at least with Callum Hudson-Odoi still struggling for fitness.
Willian has found the back of the net five times in 28 Premier League appearances this season, also notching five assists for good measure. He is a creative hub, a player capable of producing something out of nothing, of turning zero points into one or one point into three. Willian is a difference-maker and he has indeed made a difference many times over seven years as a Chelsea player.
He is, however, guilty of too frequently making the wrong decision in the final third of the pitch, where it matters most. This is where Chelsea supporters have become frustrated with the Brazilian. They see a player who should be capable of even greater things, but has failed to refine that part of his game.
Fans also question the commitment of the player. On the pitch, Willian is always one of Chelsea’s hardest working players. Some supporters, however, have taken issue with how he has openly flirted not only with other clubs, but with rival clubs. “It really is a hard decision,” Willian said last week when asked about his immediate future. “I identified myself a lot at Chelsea, I have a lot of love for everyone at the club, and the fans. However, it is like I said before, if I leave Chelsea with no trouble and leaving the doors open, it would be fine to move to a rival club.”
There isn’t a supporter out there who wouldn’t at least furrow their brow at hearing this from one of their team’s own players, but Willian is right to look after himself considering his Chelsea contract is up in the summer. Now 31 years old, he won’t have many more years left at the elite level and so it’s important that he makes the right decision.
It can be difficult to untangle the psyche of a football fan particularly when it comes to feelings towards their own players. Groupthink can be a powerful influence while tribalism clouds objective judgement. This has been a factor in the collective call made on Willian by the Chelsea support. It matters little how many medals he has hanging around his neck.
