Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will be salivating over the prolific form of Estevao Willian, who will join the Blues from Palmeiras next summer. The teenage winger, nicknamed ‘Messinho’ due to his playing style, has been making waves in Brazil over the last couple of seasons.
Estevao was linked with many of the world’s biggest clubs before Chelsea swooped in to secure his signature. He will remain on loan at Palmeiras until the end of the season, at which point he will link up with his new team-mates at Stamford Bridge.
The 17-year-old has been in fine form at Palmeiras, scoring his fifth goal in four games against Criciuma on Sunday. It saw him match an impressive record set by Neymar when he was at Santos before joining Barcelona in 2013.
Estevao has now equalled Neymar’s number of goal contributions when he was 17 and playing in Brazil, achieving the feat in fewer games. He has provided 16 goals and assists in just 22 matches, with Neymar reaching the same number after 33 games for Santos.
Chelsea have seemingly got a gem on their hands, with Estevao already being tipped as the next generational talent from Brazil. His arrival at Stamford Bridge next summer will have a few players looking nervously over their shoulders when it comes to keeping their place in the team.
Mykhaylo Mudryk could struggle for game time when he is competing with Estevao, having failed to impress at Chelsea thus far. He has only played 61 minutes in the Premier League this season and risks falling further behind if he is unable to improve markedly.
Jadon Sancho has made a fast start to life at Chelsea but may also be impacted by the arrival of Estevao if his standards drop. He is currently on loan from Manchester United but is expected to join the Blues permanently next summer.
In order to put forward a convincing case, Sancho will need to avoid slipping back into the muted form he showed at Old Trafford following his move from Borussia Dortmund.
Noni Madueke is another player who has struggled for consistency at Chelsea and will be looking to improve his output before Estevao arrives. He recently bagged a hat-trick against Wolves, with more displays like that able to help him compete for minutes next season.
Maresca has been keeping a close eye on Estevao, who will almost certainly play a significant role for the Blues when he joins the club.
“We are following him,” said Maresca over the weekend. “He is doing fantastic but unfortunately, he is doing fantastic there and not with us. We are going to wait until next summer when he will arrive here, but for sure we are very happy in the way he is doing these things.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk