Arsenal have been linked with a surprise move for Willian.
Willian’s Chelsea future looks in real doubt and transfer rumours linking him with Arsenal might not be as crazy as they sound.
The Brazil international is said to have decided not to sign a new contract at Chelsea, with Arsenal alongside Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain as his potential suitors on a free transfer this summer, according to Le 10 Sport.
Why would Willian necessarily choose us over those other two big names? Well, judging from what he recently told the Players’ Tribune, it could be a tempting option for him to remain in London.
“I have played for Chelsea for more than six years now, and I can honestly say that I am very happy here,” he said.
“If you ask my wife if she wants to leave London, she’ll say no. My daughters feel the same way. Of course, Brazil is Brazil, right? It’s our home, our culture. We always feel good when we go there on holiday and see family and friends. But London is my second home.
“In fact, I recently passed a British citizenship test … As it turned out, I failed on my first two attempts, but got it on the third. I am now a British citizen!
“So London is where I want to stay. This is where I have my family, my church. I want my daughters to grow up here. Whenever I get back to the dressing room, I want to keep seeing their messages. I want to keep hearing their love and encouragement.”
It will be interesting to see how this saga develops, and while Willian isn’t exactly the youngest, he could still have a few years left in the tank and give us a cheap option to strengthen in attack this summer.
Mesut Ozil will probably need replacing, while other attacking midfield players like Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson have not really been consistent enough this season. The addition of Willian could give Mikel Arteta more options and provide a fine example from some of our other players to learn from.