Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea monitored Willian’s situation when he almost left Fulham in the summer.
According to Joao Castelo-Branco, Manchester United and Chelsea monitored Willian’s situation when he entered the Bosman pool. The experienced Brazilian briefly left Fulham after failing to agree a new deal, but made a quick turnaround to re-sign for the club.
Willian made a surprise return to the Premier League after a tough spell in his native Brazil. The experienced title winner had a steady career for many years at Chelsea before making an ill-fated move to Arsenal, where things did not go well.
The veteran star went to Brazil but could not cope with the many external problems with the fans and the nature of the game there. He had the chance to return to the Premier League and was a stellar signing for Fulham.
Marco Silva is relishing having the Premier League winner in his side as Fulham finished in 10th place. However, there was trouble in paradise as Willian was unable to agree a new deal with the Cottagers. The decision briefly put him in the Bosman pool as a number of other clubs made offers to sign him.
Never in doubt. ✍️😏 #WillianStays 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/u3n3yj7yws
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) July 17, 2023
Crystal Palace were among the interested parties, while Nottingham Forest also inquired with their camp. Palace may have wanted him to replace Wilfried Zaha, while Steve Cooper may have wanted him for his experience.
Joao Castelo-Branco insists Manchester United and Chelsea monitored Willian’s situation before he re-signed for Fulham. The Premier League giants were interested in the experienced star as an option ahead of the new season.
The reporter insisted that Willian was plan B for their priority targets, so they never made an offer. If they came close, Chelsea might have had the upper hand considering they have set up in the club’s area, which is also Fulham.
However, he has re-signed for Fulham, and Marco Silva seems happy on this stage. The Portuguese manager was a little tense after briefly losing Willian, but also Manor Solomon, who has since joined Tottenham on a free.
Source: Chelsea and Manchester United were monitoring Willian
