Chelsea place hefty asking price on Barcelona target Willian
Barcelona’s interest in the Brazilian winger has caused Chelsea to name their price.
€80 million is the fee required to pry Willian away from The Blues, according to Mundo Deportivo. He is seen as a versatile attacking threat, so he would be a useful attacking weapon to add to Barcelona’s arsenal. Chelsea played Barca in the Champions League Round of 16 last season and Willian was their best player over both legs because he scored their only goal and looked a dangerous threat on the counter.
His time with Chelsea has been successful because he has won the Premier League twice as well as the FA Cup and League Cup since joining from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013.
Antonio Conte has mainly used him as a substitute because only 20 of his 36 league appearances were starts last season. It was a similar case in the 2016/17 season when they won the league because he only started 15 league matches.
Willian certainly has the quality to start for a big team, so it’s little surprise that he is being linked with a move away. At 29-years-old, he doesn’t have long left at his peak, which makes the time window for a major move small. He made use of his opportunities last season because he scored nine goals and assisted eight in 2312 minutes across the league and Champions League.
Would he be a good addition?
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Willian would give Ernesto Valverde another wide option to compete with Ousmane Dembele. The Brazilian is more of a traditional winger, but he can also play as an attacking midfielder if needed.
Having him and Dembele provides Barcelona with the option of playing Lionel Messi as a ‘false 9’. Willian could act as a wide forward running into the space that the Argentine vacates when he drops deep. It’s a tough role, which Luis Suarez struggled with when he was briefly used in that role last season. Argentina highlighted the dangers of that set-up in their match against France because they lacked a central presence until Sergio Aguero came on. However, David Villa showed its effectiveness if it is done right during Pep Guardiola’s time as manager.
The 29-year-old would be an excellent counter-attacking threat if Barcelona needed to take advantage of quick transitions such as the scenario they faced in the second leg against Roma last season. He would also be able to stretch defences horizontally through his wide threat and crossing ability as well as being dangerous from set-pieces.
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Chelsea’s asking price is way too high, though. He offers little in the long-term, so Barcelona can’t afford to take an expensive risk on him performing strongly over the next few seasons. He could also impede Dembele’s development at a crucial time. The French winger will be aiming to make up for lost time after a season where he settled in and was beset by injuries. Therefore, Barcelona should look elsewhere.