Chelsea fans may be forgiven for feeling dizzy by now. Estêvão’s recovery story has turned into a constant back-and-forth between London and São Paulo.
One week it felt like surgery was on the table. Then it wasn’t. Then there was hope for the World Cup. Until it wasn’t. Then he flew back to England. And now he is heading back to Palmeiras again.
According to ESPN Brazil, Estêvão will once again use his former club’s training facilities. He will use them as part of his recovery from the serious thigh injury suffered at the end of April.
And yes, Chelsea are fine with it.
Chelsea still calling the shots
The fresh report makes clear that Chelsea continue to dictate every stage of treatment. Meanwhile, Palmeiras are essentially providing the structure, atmosphere and familiar faces around the player. Still, the actual rehabilitation programme remains controlled by the Blues.
That part is important because the relationship between club and player over this injury has not exactly been straightforward.
Chelsea initially preferred surgery. Estêvão and his camp strongly disagreed and pushed for conservative treatment instead. They did so first because they hoped he could still make Brazil’s World Cup squad. Later, they simply believed surgery was unnecessary.
At times, it genuinely felt like both sides were pulling in different directions.
Now there seems to be more acceptance around the current plan – especially because the recovery is reportedly progressing well. And that is great news for the Blues.
Palmeiras becoming his comfort zone
According to ESPN Brazil, Estêvão wanted to return because Palmeiras still feels like “home” to him. The club environment, the staff and even the day-to-day routine around the training ground have apparently helped him deal with the disappointment of missing the World Cup.
The report recalls how the winger previously appeared in social media photos alongside Palmeiras nutritionist Mirtes Stancanelli, someone who became particularly close to him during his rise at the club.
Back in 2024, she reportedly helped the youngster improve his eating habits and build muscle mass during a key stage of his physical development. That relationship is now part of why he feels so comfortable recovering there.
It is not difficult to see why Chelsea supporters may look at all this with a slightly raised eyebrow. Their highly-rated teenager was signed for huge money and is viewed as part of the club’s future. He keeps gravitating back towards Brazil every time this injury story develops another chapter.
Still, Chelsea themselves approved the arrangement.
August now becoming the target
For the first time in weeks, there is also a more concrete recovery timeframe emerging.
ESPN state that Estêvão’s rehabilitation is advancing well and that a return around the beginning of August is currently expected.
That would likely rule him out of Chelsea’s pre-season schedule and probably the opening weeks of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign too.
In a strange way, though, that timeline may actually calm things down.
The World Cup pressure is gone. The arguments over speeding up recovery have faded. And if the conservative treatment continues to work, the decision to avoid surgery suddenly looks a lot less controversial than it did a few weeks ago.
For now, Chelsea appear willing to let Estêvão recover where he feels most comfortable – even if the whole process has become a slightly unusual long-distance rehabilitation project.