Chelsea acquired the services of Estevao Willian from Palmeiras for a fee of around £29 million.
The 17-year-old attacker will join the London club in July 2025, and he is currently impressing with regular football at Palmeiras. The South American is regarded as one of the finest young attacking prospects and former Brazilian superstar Ronaldo has backed him to become a top-class player.
Two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo believes that he is quite similar to the Barcelona attacker Lamine Yamal.
He said via GMS: “He’s a young player and very talented. He’s kind of like Lamine Yamal. He will soon be a very big star in football. He’s very promising, and at just 17. I think he’ll play for Palmeiras at the Club World Cup, then join Chelsea.”
Yamal has been exceptional for Barcelona since breaking onto the first-team scene. He has established himself as a regular starter for the Spanish club and he has done exceptionally well for the Spanish national team as well, helping them win the European Championship earlier this year.
Yamal is regarded as one of the best young players in the world, and Chelsea fans will certainly be excited to see their new signing compared with the Spanish international.
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Estevao Willian celebrates a goal for Palmeiras
Estevao Willian celebrates a goal for Palmeiras (Photo by Pedro H. Tesch/Getty Images)
Estevao Willian could improve Chelsea
It will be interesting to see if the 17-year-old Brazilian can adapt to English football quickly and make an instant impact next season. Chelsea need more quality and depth in the final third and Estevao will at goals, pace, and flair to the side. He could add some much-needed unpredictability to the Chelsea attack with his technical ability.
The opportunity to play for Chelsea will be quite exciting for the youngster as well, and he will hope to fulfil his potential with the London club in the coming years. If Chelsea managed to get the best out of him, the investment would look like a bargain in the future.