Willian keeps his cool over Chelsea future despite no progress on his contract talks

Touch of class | Willian scored Chelsea's winner against Lille on Wednesday night
Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
James Olley3 October 2019

Willian has admitted there has been no progress on his contract talks at Chelsea but insisted he is “relaxed” about the situation amid ongoing interest from Barcelona.

The 31-year-old’s current deal expires at the end of the season but no agreement is close and the midfielder will be able to talk to overseas clubs directly from 1 January.

He marked his 300th appearance for the Blues with the winning goal against Lille as Frank Lampard’s side earned a 2-1 victory to kick-start their Champions League Group H campaign.

Willian was linked with a summer move to Barca – several reports claimed the Blues turned down a £40million offer – and his availability on a free transfer is thought to be tempting them to return, while several other clubs to have previously expressed an interest.

Manchester United were one of those with Jose Mourinho a known admirer of the Brazilian, but the club’s transfer policy has changed significantly since his departure, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer focused on bringing youth to the club.

He told Standard Sport last month that his preference was to stay at Stamford Bridge but when asked whether negotiations had advanced over a new contract, Willian told Standard Sport: “No, no, nothing. [But] yes, I am still relaxed. I am calm, I am relaxed. I wait for the club.”

Willian’s 77th-minute volley settled a close contest at Stade Pierre Mauroy which Chelsea initially led through a well-taken Tammy Abraham strike – his first Champions League goal – before Victor Osimhen equalised just after the half-hour mark.

In Pictures | Lille vs Chelsea 02/10/19

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Abraham’s stock continues to rise – he was today set to be named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria later this month – and Willian believes the 22-year-old can become one of the finest forwards in the game.

“He can become one of the best strikers in the world,” said the Brazilian, who joined Chelsea in 2013. “He is only 22 and he has everything.

“I’ve played with good players, good strikers like Diego Costa and Fernando Torres. Now Tammy can become one of the best.

“I don’t know if he can be better than them but I think he can, potentially. He just has to improve every day because in football you need to do that.”

Chelsea’s next two European encounters are against last season’s Champions League semi-finalists Ajax and Willian added: “If you want to go to the next round, we needed the win [last night]. Now we have to carry on the same way. We have to play Ajax there and must do the same job.”

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