Willian in Chelsea talks and José Mourinho is optimistic over deal
José Mourinho has said that he expects the attacking midfielder Willian to sign for Chelsea. Tottenham Hotspur appeared poised to sign the Anzhi Makhachkala forward after he completed a medical earlier this week, but Chelsea are now in pole position for the deal and have agreed a fee of £32m.
"I think he's already made his decision," Mourinho said. When asked if that was Chelsea, he nodded in the affirmative. He added: "I don't like to speak before time because football can be crazy. I know what the player wants, so in this moment we cannot hide. That is a possibility."
Willian has still to undergo a medical at Stamford Bridge but is in talks and if he signs it strikes a blow for Mourinho over his former assistant André Villas-Boas. It could also slow the prospective sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid, Mourinho's former club.
"That's the danger of medicals before contracts," Mourinho said of Willian. "You have to do the medical before, but the best thing to do is to do the medical in secret. If the player is fine, you can sign him. If the player is not fine you don't destroy his career."
Mourinho had previously insisted the Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was his sole target, but said on Friday: "I couldn't say much in previous press conferences. I have to answer your questions and try to be honest, but at the same time try to hide a few things.
"I'm happy with my squad, but every one of us managers, we say we are happy, but we are always unhappy. We always want something of more quality and we never close the door to the possibility of adding more quality."
Willian played and scored for Anzhi Makhachkala against Chelsea in the Champions League last season. Photograph: Epsilon/Getty Images
Mourinho added that he anticipates departures, but only temporarily. "If somebody's coming, somebody will leave," he said. "The point is not to sell. I want a 22-player squad. If somebody comes, somebody leaves.
"Do we need to sell? No, we don't. Do we need to loan? Probably, yes. I don't like to work with big squads. I think 22 is the perfect number to answer to our needs."
He was insistent that the playmaker Juan Mata would not depart. The Chelsea player of the year for the past two seasons has been linked with a move, a prospect Mourinho dismissed. "No, speculation. He's a player we all like, he's a player we all want to keep and we want more quality in the team, we don't want less quality. We want to add quality. Juan is not a player we want to lose."
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