Chelsea Transfer News: Acquisition of Willian Will Pay Huge Dividends

Chelsea might not be fielding any forwards with the talent they have at midfield after the addition of Brazilian Willian from Anzhi Makhachkala.

While midfield was not an area of need for Blues head man Jose Mourinho, an upgrade is an upgrade. The 25-year-old Willian will be a mainstay in Chelsea's midfield for years to come.

Chelsea made this rumored acquisition official on their website. This move is contingent upon a work permit hearing on Wednesday, with Goal.com reporting the bid is at £31.6 million. 

Chelsea may also not be done yet:

Future moves aside, Willian's addition is not without controversy. 

As ESPN's Mark Worrall highlights, Chelsea swooped in to steal Willian from rival Tottenham during Anzhi Makhachkala's fire sale. This will only add fuel to an already raging fire. 

It is easy to see why Chelsea made their bold swoop. 

Willian is a world-class talent with versatility to serve several roles in Chelsea's talented midfield.

He is a creative and controlled player. While not a natural goal scorer, he is a threat. Willian will quickly be able to turn possessions into attacks. His pace and dribbling are good and his vision is outstanding.

He is capable as an attacking midfielder, central playmaker and in a left midfield role. It was in that last role where he flashed his skills with the Russian side. 

Willian is now joining a group of midfielders that features last year's mainstays Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata. Also, Chelsea has Victor Moses, Kevin De Bruyne and recent signing Andre Schuerrle.

With this kind of talented depth, don't be surprised to see the Blues send a player out. The Daily Mail's Charlie Skillen passed along that Mourinho has said roster changes will be needed. Skillen points out that Moses is the most likely to leave. 

Skillen also points out that there are rumors about the possibility of Mata making a shocking departure. I'm not convinced those rumors will ever become a reality, but at this point, anything is possible. 

My guess is that Willian will wind up playing on the left. With Willian and Hazard on the outside, the Blues will be well suited to get the ball into an attacking position from any spot on the pitch. 

That is pure speculation, however. It is unclear where Mourinho plans on using Willian, but two things are clear. Chelsea did not drop over £30 million to not have Willian play. Also, most importantly, is the fact that Willian will be an asset towards Chelsea's desire to have a fast, attacking team.