The Chelsea fanbase is growing in excitement about the imminent arrival of wonderkid Estevao Willian.
It’s been nearly a year since Chelsea confirmed that Estevao Willian would be joining them from Palmeiras in the summer of 2025.
In the meantime, Blues supporters have enjoyed watching the development of the 18-year-old rising star in his native Brazil.
Estevao Willian will represent Palmeiras at the Club World Cup during the summer tournament before officially joining Chelsea for the 2025/26 campaign.
Chelsea’s plan with Estevao Willian has always been to integrate him into the first-team squad immediately next season. Therefore, fans will be intrigued to see how he fits into the plans.
Estevao Willian should love seeing Noni Madueke playing on the left wing
In 72 first-team games for Palmeiras, Estevao has scored 23 goals and created 13 assists.
The South American rising star can play anywhere across the attack, but he mostly shines as a right-winger cutting infield on his stronger left foot.
It would be understandable if the teenager is slightly worried about seeing Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke as two talented Chelsea wingers who prefer to play on the right flank. In theory, it could make his task of breaking into the senior Blues squad quite tough next season.
However, Estevao should be enthused by what Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has started doing in the previous two Premier League matches.
In recent league wins over Liverpool and Everton, Madueke has shifted over to play as a left-winger. Neto has proven during his debut season with the Blues he’s got extreme versatility to play any forward role, but Madueke is usually tied down to the right wing.
Even though Noni Madueke hasn’t enjoyed playing left wing quite as much, he’s looked a major threat in the new position.
Perhaps the pieces are falling into place for Estevao to slot into the Chelsea squad and get first-team minutes from the off next season.
Of course, the expectation may need to be checked for a youngster preparing to taste European football for the first time in his career. However, there’s no denying his signature feels a bit different to the crop of youngsters recruited by Chelsea in the last few transfer windows.
Estevao Willian can take Chelsea squad by storm
The fact that Estevao already has four senior Brazil caps to his name highlights he’s a unique talent.
On top of that, the Chelsea signing is about to join them in a couple of months with a great amount of senior experience under his belt, starting as a regular for well over a year at Palmeiras.
Estevao Willian is ranked as the world’s second-best teenager behind Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal, who’s proof that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
We’re confident that Estevao can hit the ground running with Chelsea if he gets a positive pre-season under his belt after the Club World Cup. It’ll help that he’s joining a super young group of players, too.
