It is another summer of change at Chelsea as Enzo Maresca welcomes a number of new players to his squad, including Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian.
Signed from Palmeiras in 2024 for a reported £29m fee, Estevao remained in Brazil last season and even faced Chelsea for his old club at the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. The 18-year-old scored in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Palmeiras in Philadelphia to give Blues fans an exciting glimpse of his talents.
Now fully with Chelsea, Estevao is expected to be part of Maresca’s squad for the coming season, joining fellow new faces such as Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens.
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Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images
With five senior caps already for Brazil, Estevao is regarded as one of the brightest talents in South America and adds to Chelsea’s young squad who have just been crowned World Champions.
With over 80 appearances for Palmeiras under his belt, the winger has now sent a confident message to Chelsea supporters ahead of the new season.
Estevao Willian can’t wait to link up with Cole Palmer at Chelsea
In an introductory video for Chelsea’s YouTube channel, Estevao is asked to send a message to Chelsea fans, to which he replies: “Expect the best from me.”
And when asked which player he is most looking forward to playing with at Stamford Bridge, Estevao was quick to name Chelsea’s new number ten Cole Palmer. He said: “All of them, but I’d say [Cole] Palmer.”
Estevao and Palmer faced each other in the Club World Cup meeting and will now look to link up on the same team in a skilful front line. Palmer has already described Estevao as a ‘top player’, and manager Enzo Maresca compared Palmer and Estevao, saying: “He can play everywhere.
Estevao in action for SE Palmeiras v Chelsea in the Quarter Final of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Photo by Ricardo Nogueira/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
“He’s so good. For me, he’s like Cole in terms of his position. He can play outside, he can play inside, he can play everywhere. In our five attacking positions, for me, he can play everywhere.”
TBR Football recently revealed that Estevao would prefer a central role at Chelsea, which could put him as an alternative option to Palmer, who also plays in the middle.
Enzo Maresca sends Estevao Willian warning
However, Maresca has also warned supporters not to expect too much from Estevao too soon, even despite the youngster’s vow to ‘expect the best’ in a Chelsea shirt.
Maresca said: “We need to pay a little bit more attention, because first of all he’s from the other part of the world and also he’s very, very young. So we need to pay attention.
“As I said, he is not under pressure, give him happiness, give him time, he needs to adapt. Hopefully we can give him minutes, so he’s even more happy. But for sure, he’s a talented player.
“For me, the biggest mistake we can do with him is to put him under pressure. He’s very young, he needs to adapt.”