Spurs were so close to signing Willian that they actually paid to bring him to England for his medical with a deal apparently having been made, in principle, for his transfer from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. He even underwent the medical and the White Hart Lane club were said to have seen off the competition of fellow Premier League side Liverpool in order to win the race for the Brazilian international but Jose Mourinhos Chelsea had other ideas. The Stamford Bridge club hijacked the deal at the last minute, with Roman Abramovich making a personal call to Anzhis owner Suleyman Kerimov and signing Willian for a fee of £32 million which was £2 million more than Spurs were going to pay. Jose Mourinho denied that any foul play or personal vendettas were involved in the acquisition (Andre Villas-Boas Mourinhos former friend was Spurs manager at the time) and suggested that Spurs had simply paid the price for not doing the medical in secret. The reason Spurs should regret botching the signing of Willian is that he is a midfielder who can score goals - and Spurs are really struggling to get goals from less likely sources at the moment.
