Sarri Pleads Ignorance About Willian's Chelsea Contract
When a reporter mentioned the possibility of Chelsea winger Willian only receiving a one-year deal, Maurizio Sarri cut him short.
Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri was in no mood to discuss Willian's contract amid links with LaLiga champions Barcelona.
Willian was reportedly targeted by Barca in pre-season and the Brazil international has caught the attention of the Spanish club again, according to speculation.
The 30-year-old's future was discussed following Chelsea's 2-1 Premier League victory over Newcastle United on Saturday, in which he scored.
When a reporter began to mention the possibility of Willian – whose contract expires in 2020 – only receiving a one-year deal, Sarri cut him short.
"Stop, stop, stop. I don't know anything about the Willian contract, but I don't know what to answer," Sarri said during his post-game news conference.
"Maybe he has 12 years of contract I don't know. I don't know the detail. You are trying to let me speak about something I don't know."
Sarri added: "You know very well that Willian is a very important player for us, as I said yesterday in the news conference.
"In my opinion Willian has to stay with us. A very important player, like Pedro. [Callum] Hudson-Odoi is becoming for us a really important player.
"With Eden [Hazard] as a striker, we need wingers. So we need Pedro. We need Hudson-Odoi. We need Willian of course. For us he's fundamental."
