Chelsea and Tottenham made summer offers for Shakhtar attacker Willian

Oct 23, 2012 8:15:00 AM

The Brazilian will line up for the Ukranian giants against the Blues on Tuesday evening but admits he would have struggled to pick between a switch to Stamford Bridge and Spurs

Shakhtar Donetsk star Willian has revealed he had offers in the summer to move to Tottenham or Chelsea.

Tuesday’s Champions League fixtures see Shakhtar play host to holders the Blues, with the Brazilian likely to be central to Shakhtar’s chances of getting a result. The playmaker has disclosed, though, how he could easily be lining up for the away team.

"There were two offers in the summer," he told Lancenet.

"One from Chelsea and one from Tottenham. Choosing between the two clubs would be difficult. I don't know."


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15/1	Willian is 15/1 with Bet365 to score the first goal in a Shakhtar Donetsk win over Chelsea on Tuesday

Roberto Di Matteo’s club spent big in the summer transfer market in the wake of their Champions’ League win, with Willian’s compatriot Oscar and Belgian winger Eden Hazard amongst the more high-profile of the signatures that were secured.

Willian's club manager, Mircea Lucescu, also revealed Chelsea's coveting of his playmaker in the summer, claiming the London club had made a "big mistake" in missing out on the Brazilian.

The 24-year-old also spoke of the attraction of joining Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Tottenham and specifically their newly-appointed manager.

"I mean, Tottenham is a big club and it has a good person in charge. Andre Villas-Boas wanted to bring me to Chelsea and also tried at Tottenham," Willian added.

"He always sends me messages. We are always in touch, and he has become a friend, for sure. And Chelsea is Chelsea. They are a great team, with amazing players and are the champions of Europe."

Despite his contentment in his current situation, where Willian is one of a large Brazilian contingent at Shakhtar, the attacker hinted that a move to one of Europe’s more high-profile leagues could well boost his chances for the Brazilian national team.

He said: "Everybody knows what my goal is. I've clearly stated that I would like to play in a bigger stage, whether it be England, Spain or Italy.

"I want to come back to the national team, and being in a bigger spotlight would help me get noticed."

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