Willian says he rejected Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool to join the Blues.
Willian has told Four Four Two that he had no reservations whatsoever about snubbing Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool to join Chelsea.
Tottenham had flown the Brazilian attacker to North London for a medical in the dying days of the 2013 summer transfer window as a move to White Hart Lane looked imminent.
However, then-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho came knocking and hijacked the deal for the Anzhi Makhachkala star.
The 29-year-old suggests it was only a matter of time before he joined Spurs, but admits he instantly jumped at the chance to join the Stamford Bridge side upon hearing of Mourinho’s interest in him.
“When I came to London, there were other clubs interested in my football: Liverpool, Tottenham as well as Chelsea. I was just waiting for the negotiations to be completed. My agent was talking to the clubs,” Willian, who joined the Blues for £30 million, told Four Four Two.
“I was just waiting for the decision. In the end, I ended up going to Chelsea. When I understood they were really keen to sign me, I said my decision was made. I wanted to go to Chelsea.”
Tottenham fans are likely to still feel a certain resentment over the collapsed move by virtue of how successful he has been in West London, but few can argue he made a bad decision.
Four years on and the Brazil international has won two Premier League titles and a League Cup and although the Lilywhites have dramatically improved, they have not lifted a trophy in the time since Willian’s snub.
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