Estevao Willian experienced his first taste of Premier League football at the weekend. Jamie Carragher has now made an intriguing prediction about the Chelsea youngster.
After impressing in pre-season during his first Chelsea minutes, Estevao Willian was named on the bench for the club’s 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on Sunday in their Premier League opener.
The 18-year-old attacker did at least enjoy a lively cameo on his competitive Blues debut. In just over half an hour, the Brazilian teenager showed encouraging speed and directness from the right wing.
Estêvão becomes the 16th Brazilian to play for Chelsea in the Premier League, more than any other club.
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Steve Sidwell raved about Estevao after his impressive impact off the bench against Palace.
Even though he’s new to the league and European football, it is worth remembering that he was a first-team regular for Palmeiras. He’s earned five senior caps for international giants Brazil, too.
Pundit Jamie Caragher before a Premier League match between Fulham and Liverpool.
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Jamie Carragher predicts Estevao Willian will break into Chelsea’s XI
During the first Monday Night Football of the season on Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher actually picked out Chelsea’s Estevao as his player to watch in the Premier League for the new 2025/26 season.
The Sky Sports pundit predicted that the South American talent will quickly force his way into the starting line-up at Stamford Bridge. In fact, he suggested that he’s got a “decent chance” of playing on Friday night when his side travel to West Ham.
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When discussing Chelsea youngster Estevao, Carragher said via Sky Sports’ Main Event channel (18 August): “I think he’s already got Brazil caps. He was fantastic in the Club World Cup against Chelsea a few weeks ago. At the end of the game all the players were coming up to him and talking to him.
“I watched the Chelsea game yesterday [against Palace], and he made a difference when he came on. He looks pretty special. I think in a few pre-season games as well in the last couple of weeks that they’ve played well, he’s done particularly well…
“He’s still a young player. He’s obviously not the finished article. But he does look like one of them where you’re thinking, I don’t think it will be too long before he’s first choice where it feels like he has to play. It almost felt like they had to bring him on at the weekend, and he made a difference. I think he’s probably got a decent chance of being involved on Friday night.”
Blues head coach Enzo Maresca picked Pedro Neto and Jamie Gittens as the starting wingers against Palace at the weekend. However, Chelsea fans already claim Estevao should be starting, so it will be fascinating to see if he gets the nod to start during the upcoming league trip to West Ham.
Speaking after Chelsea’s first match of the campaign, Maresca insisted Estevao will be “important” for his team moving forward.
Estevao Willian for Chelsea against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Photo by Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Estevao Willian posts on Instagram after Premier League debut
Estevao shared via Instagram that he achieved a dream by making his first-ever appearance in the Premier League, which he described as the best division in the world.
We’re confident that he’s got the physical and technical ability to really hit the ground running in a Chelsea shirt straight away. Of course, his first aim is to impress when he features and force his way into Maresca’s best XI.
The fact that he’s already got loads of pressure on his shoulders, both from supporters and the media, could be a problem for most youngsters. However, he’s been able to cope with so much attention in Brazil recently, as he’s been tipped to be the next big thing for quite a while.