They say a week is a long time in the world of politics, but it’s even longer in the world of football, and Chelsea is a perfect example of that.
It would be an understatement to say that there were some doubts about Enzo Maresca’s team just seven days ago. Although they had just beaten Benfica 1-0, the victory was hardly convincing.
Furthermore, the Blues had lost their last two Premier League games 3-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion and 2-1 to Manchester United.
However, any real concerns about the club’s direction were quickly dispelled with a sensational 2-1 win over Liverpool thanks to a late goal from Estevao.
This would have been the ideal way for the Brazilian to introduce himself to the wider league, but he seems destined for greatness, but once Chelsea had a raw superstar, they let him go for free.
Why Estevao could become Chelsea’s international superstar
Despite being only 18 years old, expectations surrounding Estevao are so high that respected analyst Ben Mattinson claims he is a “future Ballon d’Or winner”.
It may seem a silly thing to say about such a young player, but the incredibly exciting wonderkid has already gained great experience in first-team football.
For example, before heading to Stamford Bridge this summer, the Franca-born talent scored 27 goals and provided 15 assists in 83 appearances for Palmeiras.
Estevao’s record in Palmeiras | |
|---|---|
Appearance | 83 |
minutes | 5610′ |
the goal | 27 |
assist | 15 |
Number of goals involved per match | 0.50 |
Hours per goal involvement | 133.57′ |
All stats via Transfermarkt | |
Additionally, he has already earned seven caps for the Brazilian national team, scoring his first goal in a 3-0 win over Chile in September.
Back in England, the left-footed prospect continues to develop. He grabbed the headlines against Liverpool by scoring his first competitive goal for the Blues, but he also made quite an impression in other matches.
For example, in his first start against West Ham United, his incredible control and technique allowed him to break through the Hammers’ backline and assist Joao Pedro.
All in all, Estevao looks like he’s going to be a world-class star for Chelsea, but as long as he plays on the right-wing, he’ll be a good addition to Chelsea compared to another former Blues gem the club lost for free.
Chelsea sign Estevao
Like other big clubs, Chelsea have lost some incredibly talented young players over the years, from Jamal Musiala to Declan Rice and even Rio Ngmoja.
However, the player in question in this case is Michael Olise, a man who could rival Estevao for the title of best winger in the world in a few years.
The Bayern Munich greats helped set up the West Londoners’ academy in 2009 but ultimately ended up leaving in 2016, which former Blues youth coach Sean Conlon says was a “mutual decision”.
The dynamic attacker then moved on to Manchester City before joining Reading’s academy, where he made his first-team debut and after an impressive 20/21 season in which he was involved in 19 goals in 46 games, he caught the attention of Crystal Palace, who paid £8m to sign him.
Over the next three years, the highly exciting Frenchman made 90 appearances for the South Londoners, scoring 16 goals and providing 25 assists, earning him praise from former manager Oliver Glasner as “one of the best talents in the world”.
The former Cobham talent made a big-money move to Bayern last summer and has reached a completely different level since moving to Germany.
For example, in his first season at FC Hollywood, the 23-year-old prodigy scored 20 goals and provided 23 assists in just 53 appearances.
So far this season, rather than taking a slight step back, they look even more effective after a ridiculous first game in Germany.
In just 10 appearances across all competitions, the 10-cap superstar has scored five goals and provided six assists.
After all, Chelsea have a future world batsman in Estevao, but they would have been a much better team had they kept Olise all those years ago.
