Willian has completed his £32million move to Chelsea after being granted a work permit.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho gave evidence on the Brazilian’s behalf for his hearing today. The 25-year-old had a medical at Stamford Bridge at the weekend. The Blues hijacked Tottenham’s bid to sign Willian from Anzhi Makhachkala last week.
Speaking on the Chelsea club website, Willian, who has signed a five-year deal at the club, said: 'I'm very happy to be here, it's been a dream of mine to come and play here.'
Granted: Willian has completed his £32m move to Chelsea after a work permit was granted
Helping hand: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho gave evidence on behalf of Willian
He added: 'Chelsea are one of the best clubs in the world, and now I'm going to play for one of the best managers in the world, so I'm very happy and looking forward to it.'
Willian will wear the No 22 shirt.
Willian is not in the Super Cup squad - Chelsea face Bayern Munich in Prague on Friday night - so will have to wait until after the international break to make his debut. Chelsea's next fixture after Friday is their away trip to Everton on September 14.
When asked about Willian's decision to join Chelsea ahead of Tottenham Jose Mourinho was coy last week.
‘I think he already made his decision,’ said the Portuguese manager.
And has he chosen Chelsea? Mourinho gave a very slow and deliberate nod.
Then he said: ‘I don’t like to speak before time because football can be crazy. Sometimes it looks like he has but he hasn’t. But I know what the player wants, so we cannot hide.
Arrival: Willian arriving at the InerContinental London Park Lane Hotel ahead of his medical last week
‘That’s the danger of medicals before contracts but, at the same time, if the medical is after the contract, sometimes you can have a problem before signing a player so you have to do the medical before.
'The best thing you can do is do the medical in secret. If the player is fine, you can sign him. If the player is not fine, you don’t destroy his career by saying the player has problems, so you do it in secret and after that sign the contract.’
WILLIAN PROFILE by Sportsmail's Adam Shergold
Playmaker: The Brazilian is not a goalscorer but should provide plenty of firepower to other strikers at Stamford Bridge
The first thing you should know is that Willian is not a prolific goalscorer. Don't expect him to be an alternative to Fernando Torres at Stamford Bridge.
In six seasons at Shakhtar Donetsk, his club prior to Anzhi, Willian scored just 37 times in 222 matches.
However, despite not being a great goalscorer, he is a scorer of great goals. And he creates plenty too.
Like any Brazilian playmaker, Willian has the full repertoire of step-overs, backheels and flicks, and judging by some of the heavy challenges by Russian defenders, he often suffers for his art.
Standing at 5ft 8in, his low centre of gravity allows for excellent dribbling skills and no Premier League wing-back will relish the prospect of Willian hurtling towards them.
Having worked space, his ability to deliver the perfect cross or pick the decisive pass is up there with the best.
Willian learned his trade in the youth ranks at Corinthians, his local club, and made his first team debut in May 2007 at the age of 18 against Juventude.
The fact he was presented with the number 10 shirt suggests Corinthians had long-term plans for him, but eye-catching performances for Brazil in the 2007 South American Youth Championships and the FIFA Under 20 World Cup brought him to international attention.
While Ukrainian outposts like Donetsk are not the obvious destination for an 18-year-old, Shakhtar had firm European aspirations and were willing to pay £12m for his services.
Eastern Europe had already become a path well-trodden for Brazilians even at that time with compatriots Fernandinho, now of Manchester City, and Jadson were on hand to help him settle in.
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