Willian and Anthony Martial are up for grabs this summer, provided the price and the buying club are right. Chelsea and Manchester United both want around £75million for their men, and neither are keen to sell to a domestic rival.
Yet there might be a solution that suits all parties, as reports emerged last week that the clubs are considering a straight swap deal.
But if the deal was to happen, who would get the best bargain?
Strengths
WILLIAN : If Jose Mourinho were able to hand-craft his ideal winger, the result would be something like Willian. He is fast, skilful, direct and possesses a rocket shot – witness his thunderbolts against Barcelona in the Champions League, and any of his many brilliant goals from free-kicks. Oh, and he works, works, works for his team, pressing and tackling from the front.
MARTIAL : To see Martial at his very best, look no further than his debut against Liverpool in 2015. Shortly after becoming the world’s most expensive teenager, at £36m, the then 19-year-old put his opponents on their heels with his pace and direct running, bamboozled them with his quick feet, and finished clinically into the bottom corner.
Weaknesses
MARTIAL: The Frenchman is blessed with prodigious talent, of that there is no doubt. But the question marks – many of which have been raised by Mourinho – remain over his work-rate and attitude. Although Mourinho’s treatment of Martial’s family situation this summer has been bizarre to say the least, United’s manager will get more understanding from Old Trafford regulars who have been frustrated by the slumped shoulders and resigned air of a player not shy to show his unhappiness with being asked to put a shift in on the wing.
WILLIAN: For a player of such talent, Willian’s goal return has never been great. Twenty five in 166 Premier League games for Chelsea – one goal every 6.64 games – is the sort of strike rate that would see other wide forwards, such as Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck, pilloried. His 20 assists also speaks of an unsatisfying end product. £75m is a lot of money for a player who turns 30 this week too.
Premier League record
WILLIAN: Willian’s goals and assists return is nothing special for a £75m player. The bald statistics say he only scores every 410 minutes and is involved in a goal every 228 minutes – but they also show his ability to impact in other ways. His dribbling puts opponents on the back foot – his dribble success rate of 61.4 per cent is high – and can be the important first step in breaking down an opposing back line. Also his ability to win the ball high up the pitch (165 tackles in total) is crucial for starting counter-attacks. Two league-winner’s medals do not lie, and he has been a key cog in both successful Chelsea sides.
MARTIAL: Mixed. Under Louis van Gaal Martial showed such promise; under Mourinho he has drifted to the sidelines. Twenty four goals in 86 games – one every 3.5 games – is very reasonable for a 22-year-old forward – but Martial possesses more talent than your average youngster and the undeniable truth is that he has not made the most of his gifts – yet. United have not come close to the title in his time at the club and will only do so if he –and the likes of Marcus Rashford – improve. No goals in his final 13 games of last season speaks volumes. His ability to take his man on seems to have got worse, not better, and a dribble success rate of 43.2 per cent is low for a wide, fast forward.
International record
MARTIAL: Once thought of as the future star of France’s attack, that title has been stolen by the brilliant Kylian Mbappe. After just one goal in 18 games for his country, including a desperately disappointing Euro 2016 on home soil, Didier Deschamps lost patience with Martial and sidelined him amid the rise and rise of Mbappe. They did not miss him a jot in winning the World Cup in Russia despite having a striker in Olivier Giroud who did not score once in the entire tournament.
WILLIAN: Firmly established in the Brazil starting XI, his direct style combined so well with Neymar’s flamboyance and Philippe Coutinho’s artistry before Belgium struck a surprise blow in the quarter-finals. Sixty two caps and counting for a player at the height of his powers, although his goal return of eight again speaks of a player whose true ability is not matched on the scoresheet.
Off the pitch
WILLIAN: A devoted family man, Willian is married to Vanessa Martins, with whom he has two daughters. He can be seen on Instagram enjoying the outdoor life, riding jetskis with his brother, playing basketball or enjoying time off at the beach. He also co-owns a London restaurant, Babbo, with Chelsea team-mate David Luiz.
MARTIAL: Another proud father, Martial’s son Swan was born last month, and he flew home to be with his partner, Melanie da Cruz, for what he said was a difficult birth. In light of that, his insistence on staying with his young family seems entirely understandable, and makes Mourinho’s claim that Martial should have returned to United’s US tour seem heartless. Martial also has a daughter, Peyton, with his ex-wife, Samantha. Their split in April 2016, which led to some bitter words in public, was claimed by some to have resulted in a dip in his form for United.
Mourinho might just think that a straight swap suits him down to the ground – he gets a proven player of title-winning pedigree in Willian, who would immediately improve United in the wide areas, both in an attacking and defensive sense, and who he knows he can trust. The Portuguese would also be happy to be rid of Martial, whose unhappiness is clear and whose work-rate is never going to impress a hard taskmaster such as Mourinho. In the short-term, Willian’s departure would also surely weaken Chelsea, a direct rival for trophies.
But the swap might not go down quite so well among United’s bean-counters. At 30 years old this week, Willian comes at a big price while, at just 22, Martial’s value could yet still sky-rocket if he manages to unlock that undoubted potential. Chelsea may also take the view that Willian’s exit would weaken one area of their team but strengthen another in desperate need of reinforcements. Neither Giroud nor Alvaro Morata appear viable centre forwards for a title-winning team, and signing Martial could see United hand Chelsea a top-class centre forward on a plate for the next decade.