Chelsea needs the mentorship and talent of the rejuvenated Willian

One of the few remaining members of the old guard, Willian’s contract is running short. Chelsea should prioritize keeping his mentorship and talent.

Such has been the youth revolution orchestrated by Frank Lampard that all the talk in town these days seems to be about the “Chelsea kids” breaking the glass ceiling and soaring high in the Premier League sky (and table). It is easy to forget then about the old guard’s contribution to Chelsea this season, which undoubtedly plays a huge role in mentoring this young side with their experience off the pitch.

There is one player though who is not only helping these youngsters off the pitch, but leading from example on the pitch; Willian.

Fans who have watched him closely this season will recognize that he has undisputedly been one of Chelsea’s best players. There was a lot of hype and hopes pinned on Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic before the season started, but the fact that Willian is consistently starting over one of them is testament of how highly he has performed during this first third of the season.

Not many players in recent memory have quite polarized opinions as much as Willian has during his six year stay at Chelsea. Having been snatched from the clutches of Tottenham Hotspurs, Willian arrived in 2013, much to the delight of the blue fan army. While Chelsea at the time was stocked with wingers, Jose Mourinho still felt that he was missing a player of Willian’s qualities. And Willian was the perfect Mourinho player.

Willian went on to firmly establish his place in the starting line up and constantly kept the likes of Andre Schurrle, Victor Moses, Juan Mata, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Juan Cuadrado, Bertrand Traore and Pedro at bay under Jose Mourinho. Whether Mourinho made the right decision to sacrifice De Bruyne and Salah for Willian is a different story: that the Brazilian convinced him to do so showed Willian’s fiery tenacity.

He was fast, skillful and defensively adept, making him the perfect counter attacking machine on the right side of Mourinho’s title winning Chelsea. Willian’s best moments, though, came in Mourinho’s and Chelsea’s worst season, the 2015/16 tragedy. When every player seemingly forgot how to play football, Willian time and again rose to the occasion and saved Chelsea from catastrophe.

The trouble began in the season’s that followed. Willian’s performances were blighted by inconsistencies, never reaching the highs of the first three years, and he failed to become a guaranteed starter under Antonio Conte and then Maurizio Sarri. The lack of starter status under Conte especially brought out Willian’s ugly side. In the aftermath of a social media post that seemingly insulted Conte, Willian was heavily criticised by fans and pundits alike, with some going as far as calling on for the player to be sacked.

It was, in fact, Conte who left Chelsea in a storm in 2018, but Willian’s fortunes did not change much under Sarri, who constantly rotated him with Pedro. While he never publicly slighted Sarri, Willian cut a frustrated figure on and off the field on multiple occasions. Fans would time and again call for Willian to be sold as there was a growing displeasure in the player power displayed by him and his Brazilian compatriot, David Luiz.

Frank Lampard’s appointment shifted emphasis to Chelsea’s youngsters, and fans were quick to point out that Willian would not fit into this young Chelsea. But Eden Hazard’s departure and the transfer ban meant Lampard had to make do with his current options, and Willian stayed despite strong interest from Barcelona and the departure of his best friend Luiz. Not that it would have mattered, because Lampard seems to value Willian highly.

Having been teammates and a constant Chelsea observer, Lampard knew exactly what he was getting in Willian. He freed him of tactical constraints and let him do what he knows best: sprint up and down the right flank, with and without the ball. Willian, rejuvenated, went a notch above and added the Hazard dimension to his game, holding the ball under the pressure and constantly creating plays.

The kind of play he is displaying takes experience to master. It is the kind Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi do not possess. He has taken responsibility and showcased leadership attributes on the field and has therefore rightly been lauded by his manager, pundits and fans alike.

Even if he is 31 years old, a player of his quality is the perfect free transfer target for the likes of Barcelona and Juventus, and Chelsea must guard against that possibility.

Forget the rumours about an exciting young winger. Letting a player of this calibre leave for free would be a huge financial blunder. Should Chelsea, Lampard or Willian desire the winger to move on after extending his contract, Chelsea can easily recoup upwards of £20 million from his sale. This money can be reinvested in whatever primary target the club is pursuing, ensuring the deal does not fall through for financial reasons.

If he ends up staying, he will not only be a great mentor to these young talented wingers and a great squad player, he will provide stability to his family who have settled well in London and relished its culture. He owns a restaurant and loves the city himself, and would avoid the difficulty of change.

Despite his past tantrums and inconsistency, there is a sense of positivity and maturity surrounding Willian. With the fans appreciating him, his manager adoring him and Willian himself being happy with his current situation, finding a resolution with his contract situation would suit all parties. Doing it on priority would also help avoid unnecessary winter transfer window drama.