"I spent 7 years here" - Fulham star Willian comments after playing against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
Former Chelsea winger Willian shared his thoughts on returning to Stamford Bridge with Fulham in the Premier League on Friday, February 3. The two sides played out a goalless draw.
The Brazilian winger played 75 minutes before being subbed off for Harry Wilson. He received an ovation from the Stamford Bridge crowd and commented on the same after the game. Willian said (via ChelsTransfer):
“It was a special night to be here at the Bridge. I spent seven years here. It was a good reception from the Chelsea fans that I respect a lot. It was amazing. My kids love Chelsea, they support Chelsea you know.”
Willian's game by numbers vs. Chelsea:
100% final ⅓ pass accuracy
100% shot accuracy
9 duels won
7 take-ons attempted
6 take-ons completed
4 touches in opp. box
3 x possession won
2 chances created
2 tackles made
0 fouls
1 standing ovation. 👏 https://t.co/vwCgeCGys7
Willian joined the Blues from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013. He spent seven years at the Bridge, scoring 63 goals and providing 62 assists in 339 games. He also won two Premier League titles and one UEFA Europa League trophy, among other honors, with the west London side.
Willian then joined rivals Arsenal in 2020 before moving to Corinthians in 2021 and eventually joining Fulham last summer.
He has scored two goals and provided three assists in 14 Premier League games for the newly-promoted side this season. Willian also scored in Fulham's 2-1 win over the Blues at Craven Cottage on January 12.
Gary Neville on Chelsea's performance against Fulham
The Blues played out a drab goalless draw against Fulham at home on Friday. This comes after they spent over £250 million in the January transfer window, bringing in eight new players.
A point apiece at the Bridge.
#CheFul https://t.co/0Xve73SyYq
Prominent pundit and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes the new players will need time to settle in at the club. He stated that Graham Potter's side didn't impress him against Fulham and told Sky Sports:
"Everything was really basic from Chelsea. I think it's because Graham Potter hasn't had time to work with them, he hasn't had time to develop them.
"He's going to need some time here. The front line needs to improve, the midfield needs to improve, so even though they've spent £600m, I looked at every department, I thought they need to get a lot better."
Neville added:
"I wasn't that impressed. It's going to take a lot of time for players to settle in. You can't get away from the money. It's jaw-dropping, staggering. £600m has been spent. They are going to need to be patient as no-one has done this before."
The Blues are ninth in the Premier League table, nine points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who have a game in hand.