Fulham manager Marco Silva can breathe a relative sigh of relief coming into the 2023-24 Premier League season after one of the Cottagers’ chief performers last season has decided to return along the banks of the Thames.
Football insider Fabrizio Romano reported that 34-year-old veteran Brazilian winger has opted to come back to Craven Cottage just two weeks after leaving on a free transfer in the wake of an influential term under the Portuguese.
Signed and sealed. Willian can now be considered new Fulham player — back there after 2 weeks as free agent. 🇧🇷 https://t.co/x4eEbsMJLf
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 17, 2023
Despite interest from Nottingham Forest as well as a number of top clubs in the Roshn Saudi League, the former Chelsea and Arsenal forward agreed to continue to reside in the English capital pending a passed medical, with a deal expected to be completed by the end of the day.
Willian, who endured a torrid spell with Arsenal after leaving Chelsea, had spent a year on hiatus from European football with hometown outfit Corinthians before joining Fulham on a free transfer last summer.
It would end up as one of the brightest pieces of business anywhere in the Premier League after the former Brazilian international made 27 league appearances under Silva while scoring five Premier League goals as one of the most consistent performers for the club in a season that saw them outperform expectations on the way to a 10th-place finish.
With the club having to potentially deal with the loss of Aleksandar Mitrović in the wake of also losing Neeskens Kebano to UAE Pro League outfit Al-Jazira, continuity on the left side of the attack in the starting XI would at least strip Silva of one additional summer headache.
