Chelsea’s pursuit of the finest South American talent isn’t slowing down. The Blues have been linked with a move for Millonarios teenager Nesyer Villarreal, even sending scouts to monitor his display against Santa Fe in midweek.
Last summer, the club signed Brazilian teenager Estevao for a fee in the region of £29m, but he will remain with his club until July, joining the Blues after the FIFA Club World Cup.
Young Brazilian star Estevao Willian
"All the time, I'm very anxious to go.” The youngster said on the Denilson show when asked about his move to England. Will he live up to the lofty expectations?
Why Chelsea signed Estevao
The teenager doesn’t turn 18 until April, but he has already begun to showcase his incredible talents for Palmeiras since making his debut for the club in 2023.
Across 60 senior games for the Brazilian side, Estevao has scored 20 times while chipping in with ten assists, which works out as a goal contribution once every two matches.
The right-winger even made his debut for Brazil in September last year, going on to appear another three times for his country. A big future ahead indeed.
An extra year with Palmeiras should hopefully give him more confidence before making the move to Chelsea ahead of the 2025/26 season.
If Maresca gets things right next term, the Blues could have a formidable squad, packed with some of the finest young talents on the globe.
Could the manager even be brewing his own homegrown Estevao too? As youngster, Tyrique George has begun to make a solid impact for the club.
Chelsea could be brewing their own Estevao
During the 2023/24 season, George starred for the U18s, netting nine goals and grabbing six assists in the U18 Premier League for the Blues.
These displays meant the Englishman was given a chance by Maresca this term and has already featured in 17 matches for the Stamford Bridge outfit, mirroring Estevao in typically operating on the flanks.
Tyrique-George-Chelsea-Saka
Nine of those have come in the Conference League, a competition used as a chance to unleash young talent by the manager.
George has managed to create three big chances throughout the competition while averaging 1.4 key passes per game and succeeding with 1.5 dribbles each match – a success rate of 60%.
Highly impressive indeed. Teammate Jadon Sancho knows a thing or two about bursting onto the scene before becoming one of the finest young talents on the continent and he said that George “has the world at his feet” in a post on X last year.
If he continues developing and gaining first-team experience, the 19-year-old could be the next big thing to emerge from the Cobham academy, no doubt about that.
Tyrique George's PL stats for Chelsea this season
Goals
Assists
Big chances created
Key passes per game
Successful dribbles per game
Possession lost per game
Via Sofascore
Will Estevao’s arrival limit his game time, however? That much remains to be seen. Although while all the focus will be on the Blues' incoming Brazilian sensation, the west London side do already have their own wing wizard brewing in the form of George.
There remains a continued push to scour the globe for the very best young talents, yet having witnessed the success of the likes of Reece James and Mason Mount in recent years, Maresca and co must not ignore the wealth of talent being developed in the academy ranks. George included...
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