Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen on Chelsea’s Willian.
Tottenham Hotspur’s season is effectively petering out, with a top five spot looking unlikely and exits from both the FA Cup and the Champions League.
Spurs need to get to the summer now and look to back Jose Mourinho in the transfer market, with a number of players already being linked with the club.
One of them is Chelsea star Willian, as The Telegraph claim that Mourinho would like to bring the Brazilian to the club when his Chelsea contract ends this summer.
Willian has turned down a two-year deal at Chelsea because he’s seeking a three-year contract, and reuniting with Mourinho – the manager who beat Spurs to his signature back in 2013 – does make some sense.
However, handing Willian a three-year deal would be a major gamble, even if Mourinho values both his technical ability and his workmanlike attitude.
The winger is now 31, and will be 32 by the time the new season begins. By signing up for a three-year deal, Spurs would be adding Willian to their books until the age of 34.
Mourinho often has a reputation for lumping clubs with big contracts for veteran players, and this smacks of the same thing, with Willian going against what Spurs usually go for.
They tend to like players with resale value, like January signing Steven Bergwijn, and only three times since 2014 have Spurs signed players in their 30’s; Michel Vorm twice and Fernando Llorente once.
Committing to three years of Willian, as his pace potentially diminishes, seems like a real risk for the future, as Tottenham won’t have huge money to work with given the cost of their stadium and potentially a lack of Champions League.
Backing Mourinho is one thing, but it should still come within the Tottenham framework – and Willian, at this stage in his career, really goes against that, especially if it’s until 2023.
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