Willian Reportedly Ready to Force Chelsea Exit Unless Antonio Conte Leaves

Willian is reportedly running out of patience with his increasingly limited role at Chelsea and is ready to force a move away from the club unless he is afforded more game time.

According to Brazilian outlet UOL (via Metro), the playmaker would also consider remaining at Stamford Bridge if manager Antonio Conte departed the club, but his frustration is growing.

Under Conte, Willian has become a peripheral figure at Chelsea. The Italian's predecessor, Jose Mourinho, brought the Brazil international to Stamford Bridge in August 2013 and played him regularly.

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He was crucial as the Blues won the Premier League title in 2014-15, and he then won the club's Player of the Year award in their disappointing 2015-16 campaign.

Since Conte has been in charge, though, Willian has more often than not found himself warming the bench.

In Chelsea's 2016-17 title-winning campaign, he made 34 league appearances, but 19 of them were as a substitute.

And in 2017-18, Willian has started just six of 12 matches in the English top flight.

As a result, the 29-year-old has been linked with a move away from west London, most recently to Manchester United to link up again with Mourinho, per Neil Fissler in the Sunday Express.

Willian gave an indication of his enduring excellence on Wednesday as he produced a man-of-the-match performance by netting twice in the UEFA Champions League against Qarabag, per Opta:

His impressive showing may convince Conte to start him in Saturday's crucial Premier League clash at Liverpool.

But if the Blues manager opts to bench Willian again even after such a good display, that is likely only to add to the former Shakhtar Donetsk man's frustrations and could push him closer to the exit door at Stamford Bridge.