Andre Villas Boas has failed in his attempt to bring Shakhtar Donetsk star Willian to Stamford Bridge, according to The Mirror. It is reported that the Stamford Bridge club have had their £16.7million bid knocked back by the Ukrainian giants.
Villas Boas revealed that even though he thought that Willian was “very interesting” he does not wish to buy anyone who will be cup-tied in the Champions League.
“I don’t think we should go for players who cannot be involved in all the competitions.”
With Andre Villas Boas unsure over the deal, it seems as if Roman Abramovich remains keen on the Brazilian attacking midfielder. Abramovich is said to be close friends with Shakhtar’s billionaire owner, Rinat Akhmetov and may try to force through a deal before the end of the window.
Willian, 23, is keen on leaving the reigning Ukrainian Champions in order to test himself in one of Europe’s top domestic leagues and his club seem to be willing to reach an agreement with Chelsea that would see the twice capped Willian accomplish his dream.
Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin, is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying, “If it weren’t for our good relationship with Chelsea – and Willian does not hide his intention to test himself in one of the best clubs in the English Premier League – we would insist on the £29m release clause written into the player’s contract.”
A new attacking player is definitely needed by the Blues, having already let Nicolas Anelka move to China in this transfer window. The lack of creativity in the squad has been an issue for the last couple of seasons with most of the Chelsea midfielders having attributes which are too similar. Willian, a versatile player who can operate on the wing or as an attacking midfield would definitely add a different dimension to the squad with his pace and ability to create surely needed by Andre Villas Boas’ side.
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