Despite all the chaos of the previous two seasons at Chelsea, things are actually going remarkably well for the Blues right now.
Following Sunday’s 3-0 demolition of Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, they’re currently third in the Premier League, below Arsenal by virtue of alphabetical order only, considering the two London rivals have an identical number of points, goal difference, goals scored and head-to-head record.
Enzo Maresca has given minutes to 30 different players this season, second only to Southampton across all competitions, rotating his squad heavily for EFL Cup and UEFA Conference League fixtures, keeping star players fresh for Premier League commitments.
Chelsea's plethora of attacking options
Going forward in particular is where Maresca has an abundance of options at his disposal.
The form of Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson means they are undroppable, but countless combinations featuring Pedro Neto, Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk or Joao Felix have completed the attacking quartet in the Premier League so far.
Madueke appeared to be the first-choice on the right wing, starting 11 successive Premier League fixtures, a sequence that began in August when he bagged this hat-trick at Molineux, before being benched at the weekend.
Meantime, Neto’s Chelsea career appeared ready for take-off when he scored an absolute rocket from distance against Arsenal, his first league goal for the club, but a knock suffered on international duty has hindered his progress.
That’s not even mentioning Christopher Nkunku, who hasn’t started in the league since the opening day, despite scoring in all six European fixtures so far, on target 11 times across all competitions, but he still can’t get much of a look in.
Having said all of that, by next summer, there will be a new kid on the block, with Chelsea having already got their hands on a teenage sensation.
Chelsea's Brazilian superstar
Back in June, Chelsea announced the signing of Estêvão Willian, describing him as “one of the most exciting talents around”.
Chelsea summer signing Estevao
He’ll join from reigning Brasileirão champions Palmeiras, costing a reported fee of £29 million, arriving in the summer of 2025 following his 18th birthday, potentially in time for the ill-fated FIFA Club World Cup.
Upon arrival, the teenager will surely become the 15th Brazilian to make a senior appearance for Chelsea.
Some, such as Thiago Silva, Willian, Oscar, Ramires and David Luiz, were ultra-successful; others, looking at you Alexandre Pato and Lucas Piazón, not so much.
Estêvão certainly has the talent to fall into the former category, described as “the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar” by João Paulo Sampaio, head of Palmeiras’ academy, adding “you watch him and you fall in love”.
Scout Jacek Kulig on Twitter compared Estêvão’s stats after 28 Brasileirão appearances to both Neymar and Vinícius Júnior stating “I’m not suggesting that Estêvão will surpass Vini or Neymar, but the way he’s started his senior career is absolutely crazy”.
Across all competitions, the teenager has 14 goals in 44 appearances for the Verdão, as well as providing ten assists, most recently the only scorer during a victory over Grêmio in early November.
According to FBref’s scouting report, Estêvão ranks extremely highly for all the key attacking metrics compared to positionally similar players in comparable leagues.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
He is in the top 10% for shots, assists, shot-creating actions, progressive carries, successful take-ons, touches and progressive passes, which isn’t bad for a 17-year-old.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Of course, he is plying his trade at a lower level and, a tale of caution, his former teammate Luis Guilherme, a year older, arrived at West Ham to similar fanfare for a fee of £25m last summer, but he is yet to make any discernible impact in East London, appearing only twice for a total of 11 minutes to date.
So, Chelsea unquestionably have a serious talent on their hands, but patience will be required and it may take time before we see the best of Estêvão in a blue shirt.
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