Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan has revealed Willian was ‘chomping at the bit’ to return to the club.
The Brazilian rejoined the west Londoners until the end of the season after cancelling his contract at Greek side Olympiacos, having only left the Cottagers months earlier.
Prior to his departure in August, Willian spent two years at Craven Cottage, playing 67 games and scoring 10 times in all competitions.
And while his move back to English football may have come as a surprise, Fulham vice-chairman Khan has revealed that the 36-year-old had been incredibly keen on a return to the club.
In fact, Khan, whose father is Whites’ owner Shahid, went as far as describing Willian, who spent seven years at local rivals Chelsea, as a ‘Fulham man’.
He told talkSPORT: “Willian’s been chomping at the bit, looking to get back into the Premier League, in Fulham.
“And Willian is a Fulham man, he’s been a great player for us for the last couple of seasons. When you look at the contributions Willian’s made on and off the pitch, what a fantastic man!
“We all love Willian, and it made so much sense for him to return to the football club right now.”
With Reiss Nelson and Harry Wilson currently injured, Willian’s introduction will provide Fulham with some much needed attacking quality and experience.
And Khan has tipped him to make an instant impact, having previously shone under manager Marco Silva during his first spell.
The ex- Arsenal winger joined Fulham in 2022 after their promotion back to Premier League, helping the Cottagers to re-establish themselves in the top-flight with 10th and 13th place finishes.
Khan continued: “It’s been a challenging time with some of the key players injured, now is the key time for Willian to return to Fulham, so I’m really glad.
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“When Marco and Willian first collaborated, when Willian returned to the Premier League with Fulham a couple of years ago, he came back, he had a fantastic run of seasons with us.
“And he’s going to absolutely come back, I believe, and be an important player for us right now at Fulham Football Club.
“It’s fantastic to get Willian back and I’m really excited about it.”
It’s fair to say the Brazilian has a proven track record in English football.
Since his arrival in the Premier League with Chelsea in 2013, Willian has gone on to make 317 top-flight appearances.
He is best known for his time at Stamford Bridge, where he scored 63 goals in 339 appearances for the Blues, winning the league twice as well as the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.
Willian’s career
| Club | Years |
| Corinthians | 2006-2007 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2007-2013 |
| Anzhi Makhachkala | 2013 |
| Chelsea | 2013-2020 |
| Arsenal | 2020-2021 |
| Corinthians | 2021-2022 |
| Fulham | 2022-2024 |
| Olympiacos | 2024 |
| Fulham | 2025 – |
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He then spent a year at London rivals Arsenal following his departure from Chelsea in 2020, before returning to Brazil with Corinthians.
It wasn’t long before the forward was back in England, as he joined Fulham following a season at the club where he started his career.
And after his five-month spell away from the Premier League at Olympiacos was plagued by injuries, Willian will now continue his Premier League journey as he looks to help the Whites build on their ninth place spot in the table.