Chelsea take on Brazilian giants Flamengo this week at the Club World Cup, and they know all about the potential of rising star Estevao Willian.
Estevao Willian, 18, will be joining Chelsea immediately after the Club World Cup tournament is over. However, he’s currently playing his final few games for Palmeiras, where he’s earned the reputation as one of the world’s most exciting young talents.
The Brazilian attacker has been a key first-team player for his native Palmeiras in the last 18 months. Incidentally, Estevao is now valued at £74m by the CIES Football Observatory.
It’s been a long wait for Blues supporters to see the young sensation play for them, but they can follow him closely during this summer’s Club World Cup before he joins.
Palmeiras star Estevao Willian dribbling against Porto in the Club World Cup.
Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
Agustin Rossi confidently predicts Estevao Willian will shine at Chelsea
Flamengo goalkeeper Agustin Rossi, who’s currently preparing to face Chelsea, knows about Estevao’s quality after coming up against him in the Brazilian league.
He’s tipped the South American teenager to be a huge success at Stamford Bridge because he’s ready to make an impact straight away.
When discussing Chelsea signing Estevao, Rossi said via The Daily Mail: “Here in South American football, not just Brazilian football, we know that he is a very important player. Despite his young age, he’s going to a club like Chelsea, so the anticipation in England is great, even in Brazil, just thinking about how much he’ll grow in a league like the Premier League.
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“What I can say is he has great characteristics, great performances, and that’s how he got Chelsea’s attention. He’ll definitely be a great addition to Chelsea next season.”
Former Chelsea star Willian has warned Estevao he’s taking a big step by moving to English football at this stage in his career. He will be arriving in West London with a lot of expectation on his young shoulders, too.
Meanwhile, Jason Cundy suggests Estevao will need a bit of time to settle into a new club and new league next season.
Palmeiras star Estevao Willian playing against Porto in the Club World Cup.
Photo by Ira L. Black – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Enzo Maresca will face real headache on the right wing
Blues head coach Enzo Maresca may have a real dilemma next term when selecting his right-winger on a game-to-game basis.
Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke are Chelsea wide men that prefer playing on the right. To add to that, Estevao has played some of his best football for Palmeiras on the right wing, where he loves to dribble infield on his favoured left foot.
While there should be enough matches to rotate next season, we suspect there may be some unhappy individuals in the dressing room in certain moments.
It was reported a year ago that Chelsea view Estevao as a central option to play in the No.10 role, but we can’t see anybody dislodging Cole Palmer from that position.