Chelsea want to keep Willian away from their Premier League rivals

Chelsea rarely extend the contracts of players over the age of 30, but they’re willing to make an exception to keep William away from the competition. 

Willian has been a big part of Frank Lampard’s revolution at Chelsea this season, but it seemed he was destined to leave Stamford Bridge due to his age. Now the higher-ups at the club have changed their minds about the immediate future of the Brazilian attacker. At least part of the club’s motivation appears to be to keep Willian away from their London-based Premier League rivals.

The 31-year-old has been open about his interest in staying at Chelsea, but he only wants to do so if the club offer him a three-year contract. The Blues have a long-standing policy of limiting contract offers to players over the age of 30 to just a single season. That policy has been broken on a couple of occasions recently, but not for the sort of three-year guarantee that Willian is looking for.

Part of the reason why Lampard wants to keep hold of Willian is because of his terrific form as of late. His recent hot streak has run his season-long totals to eight goals and five assists on the current campaign. That’s an outstanding contribution from a player who has made seven of his 31 appearances from the substitute’s bench.

The other reason why Chelsea have reversed course on the contract negotiations is they don’t want to play against Willian next season. He has been clear that his preference is to remain in London. Premier League clubs based there would be more than happy to help him extend his stay. In particular, North London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal have both been strongly linked with a move to bring Willian in on a free transfer.

In the end, look for both sides to be forced into a slightly uncomfortable compromise. Willian probably won’t get the fully guaranteed three-year contract he’s looking for. On the flip side, Chelsea aren’t going to get away to signing him to a one-year deal even if they offer him a wage increase.

If the Blues want to keep Willian away from their Premier League rivals, they’ll need to bend their transfer policy once again. Doing so for an attacker over the age of 30 is fraught with danger, but Chelsea don’t want to see Willian pouring in goals for a rival anytime soon.