Chelsea opinion: Should the Blues offer Willian a new deal?

In a recent interview with the Evening Standard, Chelsea star Willian has revealed that he wants to stay at the club for the near future. At the moment, the Brazilian forward has just over a year left on his current deal with the Blues, but has revealed that he wants to remain at the club.

Earlier in the season, the Sun had reported that the 30-year-old was unhappy with the deal offered to him by the club. It was a one-year contract, tying him to Chelsea until the end of the 2020/21 season, which is the case for all players over 30 years old at Chelsea.

The Sun reported that the Brazilian wanted a three-year deal, effectively tying him until what could be the end of his career. Willian has been heavily courted by of Barcelona (Telegraph), PSG (Sky Sports) and even Manchester United (Manchester Evening News).

But his latest interview reveals that he is going nowhere. Yet the question nagging at the Blues’ board is should they offer the Brazilian a long-term contract given their current situation. At the moment, Chelsea have been hit with a transfer ban (ESPN) for the next two windows.

If upheld, then the next chance they get would be the 2020 summer window. However, that doesn’t affect deals already made, so as a result, Christian Pulisic will still be allowed to play for the club once his loan spell with Borussia Dortmund is over.

That leaves the Blues with Pedro, Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and of course, Eden Hazard. While the Belgian has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid (Sky Sports) since Zinedine Zidane returned to the club, there has been no sign of an official offer been made.

With Hazard playing effectively the best football of his career, the Blues can’t afford to let him go anyway.

Willian too is having one of his most creative seasons, with 8 goals and 12 assists to his name so far. The £120,000-a-week star has been a crucial part of Maurizio Sarri’s side, missing just four games all season.

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Conclusion

Willian’s performances this season emphasises why the Brazilian deserves a new deal but at the same time, it shouldn’t be a long-term one.

Callum Hudson-Odoi needs to play a bigger role next season but the burden could be just a bit too much for a young 19-year-old to handle.

With Willian to take over when required, and Pulisic’s arrival, there might be just enough to help Chelsea survive the transfer ban.