We dismissed this as nothing more than ‘paper talk’ when it first appeared, but it seems that Tottenham’s interest in Willian is very real indeed.
Consensus seems to be that Spurs have bid up to £20m for the player, but that his club Shakhtar Donetsk are not terribly interested in cashing-in at the moment. The Brazilian has been having his say, and wasn’t exactly ambiguous on the matter:
“I have a proposal, but it is complicated because the board. Here are many players in the same position, most Brazilian. They buy and do not let go.
That’s the problem. Everyone knows that I want out, I’m here for five years, won many titles, so I hope you respect my will.
I do not regret coming here, but this situation has been happening, with Chelsea trying to get me in January and now Tottenham, we start to rethink.”
(Quotes – The Mail)
Don’t expect Shakhtar to roll over on this one, within the context of their own league they’re an affluent club – and therefore can afford to turn down any initial offers for their players and force the price upwards. If Daniel Levy is determined to bring Willian to White Hart Lane, then he can expect a fully-awkward negotiation. We’ve seen these kind of comments before from the player – in relation to Chelsea – and Shakhtar were completely unmoved.
A lot has been written about him potentially being a replacement for Luka Modric. In the sense that the revenue from the Croatian’s sale would be used to buy him, then maybe so – but the Brazilian is a more forward-thinking player, and wouldn’t really occupy the same role. Modric was happy in the deep areas, and content to maintain possession and dictate the temperament with which Tottenham played – conversely, Willian thrives in the attacking corridor, either centrally or out-wide. He’s a good player, but don’t he wouldn’t be a like-for-like swap.
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