Willian’s contract deadlock: Why you can’t blame Chelsea board for this one

COMMENT: Willian. His contract. And the idea of compromise. For once, this isn’t one you can hang on the board. Chelsea have done the right thing here, but the player…?

With time ticking away and his current deal inside it’s final six months, Willian will have to make a decision sooner rather than later. And by his own admission, Chelsea have made an attempt to meet him halfway.

Chelsea offered me two years, and they are not going to change what they offered,” Willian, still short of breath, declared after the thumping by Bayern Munich.

“I said I wanted three more years. The situation is difficult because of this, I really don’t know if it will be possible (to stay at the club).”

So reluctant, as many Premier League clubs are these days, to offer terms beyond a year to those the wrong side of thirty, Chelsea‘s managing director Mariana Granovskaia had made an exception in the Brazilian’s case.

Willian, 32 in August, has been steadfast in his demands of a new three-year contract being put in front of him. Chelsea, for their part, had been insisting on the standard rolling one-year extension. However, by request of manager Frank Lampard, and the obvious impact Willian has made on this new-look Chelsea team, Granovskaia blanked club policy over Christmas and tabled a new, two-year deal to Willian – on improved terms. Effectively meeting the midfielder and his advisors halfway.

A compromise between friends. A bit of give and take. Yet, Willian is having none of it. And it’s a shame, a real shame.

Lampard admitted frustration with the standoff last week. He talked about unwanted distractions. An unnecessary feeding of the rumourmill. But the Blues manager could also have been giving Willian and his camp some sage advice.

As it stands, Willian has talked his way into a corner. By going public, he’s given himself little room for maneuver. The pulse was still racing. The thoughts of those four Bayern goals still dominating the mind. But he took the interview with his countryman. And in his native Portuguese, with heart ruling head, he let it all hang out.

Chelsea have made their pitch. And it’s a good one. One the majority of Blues support would be behind. But by speaking out, Willian has left himself with few options. Compromise. Do the right thing. Accept what’s on the table. And it appears he’s caved in. Walk away after the club had made this extra effort – and the reputation takes a knock amongst his most loyal support.

And as we said, this would be a real shame. In August, it will be seven years since Willian arrived from Anzhi. Premier League titles. Cup triumphs. He’s been at the forefront of this second wave of success in the Roman Abramovich era. A legend of the club? It’s close. Certainly you could argue the case if he’s still performing nine years into his stay. And even more certain – if he stuck around – would be the tag of being Chelsea‘s greatest Brazilian.

And he’s wanted. Needed. Lampard has made that clear. Chelseaneed Willian for this transition they’re undergoing. A new style of play. A new transfer policy. A fresh approach to their academy graduates. They need stability – consistency – amongst all the change. Something which Willian offers in abundance.

Is someone dripping something in his ear? Of course, that’s always a possibility. What must be said is that Willian loves the place. He enjoys his life as a Chelsea player. And this new status as locker room leader is something he’s found himself naturally growing into.

Which is why the rejection of Chelsea‘s compromise is so baffling. It must be recalled that Willian actually, by his own words, turned down a dream move to Barcelona barely 18 months ago. Not many Brazilians do that.

“I received an official offer from Barcelona only last year, after the World Cup,” Willian, again on Brazilian TV, revealed earlier this season. “This was the only time I had to discuss something like this with my family. But we really like London. So there were a number of reasons why we stayed.”

Barca are now off the table. Intermediaries were in touch in January. But his age and the emergence of Ansu Fati made any chance of reviving the negotiations of 2018 a non-starter. Chelsea were well across the approach. Powerless to prevent a pre-contract from being signed. But despite this attempt, Lampard and Granovskaia still agreed to go beyond club policy and offer this new two-year deal.

And yet, as we sit, Willian is preparing to walk away. Seven years into this relationship. The opportunity for a further two. And the chance to write himself into the club’s folklore as one of it’s best.

If this all falls through, for once, you can’t hang it on Chelsea‘s board.

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