Jose Mourinho reveals he didn't pursue Willian because Tottenham Hotspur couldn't match Arsenal's wage offer
Jose Mourinho recently spoke about his relationship with Arsenal’s Willian and revealed why Tottenham Hotspur allowed the former Chelsea man to move to the Emirates. Spurs will welcome the Gunners to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, hoping to get another win over their rivals.
Tottenham Hotspur have won six of their 10 games in the league so far and have won four of the last five games. Spurs are tied at the top of the table with defending champions Liverpool but are leading the league by virtue of a superior goal difference.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have stuttered under Mikel Arteta and head to the game with just one win in their last five games. The Spaniard will be aware that there’s more than just pride at stake at the Derby, but prising points away from the brilliant Spurs side will not be easy. However, the Gunners do have a player in their ranks who scored a brace against Tottenham last season while playing for Chelsea - Willian.
Given that the Brazilian enjoys a fantastic relationship with Mourinho, it was surprising that the Spurs manager allowed Arsenal to sign him in the summer. The Portuguese has now revealed why he passed on the opportunity to be reunited with his former player.
Tottenham were unable to match Arsenal’s wage offer for Willian, Mourinho reveals
Willian’s tryst with Arsenal has not been the rosiest so far, with the Brazilian yet to find the back of the net in 13 appearances. However, he is still an immensely talented player that Mourinho would have liked in his Spurs squad.
The Portuguese claimed that the main reason why he did not sign the Brazilian was that Tottenham could not match the wages that Arsenal were offering.
We don’t have money for Willian. We cannot pay the wages that he gets at Arsenal so I didn’t want to waste our time because we cannot pay these wages.
However, Mourinho did give a glowing review of the player whom he regularly keeps in touch with.
He is still dangerous, he is still one of the best players in the Premier League. Apart from that, he is a good friend. I have nothing to hide in relation to that. We keep in touch, we keep in contact, we call each other. We wish good things to each other. He is my friend and of course, he is a very good player.