"I don’t think he gets the recognition he deserves in the Premier League" - Fulham star makes claim about ex-Chelsea man Willian

Fulham midfielder and captain Tom Cairney has claimed that former Chelsea man Willian is the best he’s ever played with. Cairney also opined that the Brazilian winger was underrated during his time in the Premier League and didn’t get into the limelight because he shared the locker room with Eden Hazard.

Currently without a club, Willian joined Chelsea from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013. He formed a formidable combination with Hazard upfront but the Belgian maestro was widely regarded as the Blues’ best player at the time.

A year after Eden Hazard left Chelsea in 2019, Willian joined Arsenal on a bossman transfer. However, the Brazil international couldn’t find his groove at the Emirates and left for his boyhood club Corinthians before joining Fulham in 2022. He spent two years with the Cottagers before moving to Olympiacos where he last played.

Despite scoring just 10 goals in 67 appearances for Fulham, Cottagers skipper Cairney has reckoned that Willian was one of the best players in the league for a few years. During a discussion on Sky Sports, the Fulham man was asked to name the best player he’d played with. He replied (via Sky Sports Premier League on X):

''Willian, it’s not even close. I think football brain, out of this world. In my opinion, I don’t think he gets the recognition he deserves in the Premier League. I think he was one of the best players in the Premier League for four or five years, but because he played in the same team as Eden Hazard, who kind of took a lot of the limelight, and rightly so, he was the best player, but I thought Willian was special, very special."

"And for me, when he came to Fulham at 34, 35, he was, the sharpness and the ABS brakes. But now, what a footballer honestly," he added.

Willian played for Chelsea between 2013 and 2020. He scored 63 goals and provided 57 assists in 339 appearances for the club across competitions.

''I wish I never left'' – When Willian rued leaving Chelsea for Arsenal

When Willian's contract at Chelsea was about to expire in 2020, the club offered him an extension of two years. However, the player rejected it as he wanted a longer term.

Negotiations between the two parties eventually reached an impasse, as Willian joined Arsenal. However, he spent only one year with the Gunners before going to Corinthians and then returned to the Premier League the following year. While Willian was at Fulham in 2023, he expressed regret over his decision to leave Chelsea, saying (via Football Daily on X):

''Yeah. I wish I’d never left. Yeah. Of course, it’s easy to say something now, but when I stop to think about the whole situation then yeah, I say to myself I wish I’d never left. But it’s life. I’m happy now at Fulham – enjoying myself there, so this is life.''

Willian is currently a free agent after he left Olympiacos only six months into a one-year deal.