Moses
Chelsea announced on Sunday that they have
reached an agreement to sign Brazilian attacking midfielder Willian from Russian
side Anzhi Makhachkala, subject to the granting of a work permit.
His arrival will further swell the number of
attacking midfielders at manager Jose Mourinho’s disposal, with Eden Hazard,
Juan Mata, Oscar, Victor Moses, Kevin De Bruyne and Schuerrle already competing
for just three starting places.
The arrival of the Brazilian has turned analysts’
focus on Moses as the most likely to be hit by the addition. Soon after Chelsea
announced the deal on Sunday, British media highlighted Moses as the lowest in
the pecking order of the supporting strikers who could go on loan when the
mid-season transfer window opens in January. The predictions are coming despite
Mourinho’s pre-season remark on the Super Eagles attacker. The Chelsea boss had
said during the tour of the USA that Moses was doing very well with the
team. He said, “Moses has been very terrific.”
The acquisition of Willain by the Stamford Bridge
team comes as a surprise. The 25-year-old had been set to join Tottenham
Hotspur, having undergone a medical at the north London club earlier last week,
only for Chelsea to hijack the deal.
British media reports claim Chelsea will pay a
fee of around £30m to secure his services.
“Chelsea Football Club can confirm an agreement
has been reached with both Willian and his club Anzhi Makhachkala for the
transfer of the Brazilian player,” read a statement on the Chelsea website.
“The transfer is subject to a work permit hearing
on Wednesday.”
Willian will be the fourth player to join Chelsea
during the current transfer window, following Australian goalkeeper Mark
Schwarzer, Dutch midfielder Marco van Ginkel and Germany international Andre
Schuerrle.
Willian only joined Anzhi from Ukrainian side
Shakhtar Donetsk in January, but he is being moved on after the Russian side’s
billionaire owner Suleiman Kerimov decided to restructure the club and
drastically shrink their budget.
Mourinho said he felt no sympathy for Spurs
despite swiping the player from beneath their noses.
“That’s the danger of medicals before contracts.
But you have to do the medical before,” he said.
“The best thing to do is the medical in secret.
If the player is fine, you can sign him. If he’s not, you don’t have to destroy
his career. Sometimes there are sources who find out everything.”
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