Estevao Willian arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer amid plenty of excitement, but Chelsea now believe another teenager could follow in his footsteps.
The Brazilian, who scored against Enzo Maresca’s side for ex-club Palmeiras at the Club World Cup, is being tipped for an incredibly bright future.
Despite being just 18, Estevao already boasts seven senior caps for the Brazil national side, and bagged his first goal for the five-time World Cup winners in a 3-0 victory over Chile in their last round of qualifiers.
By doing this, Estevao became the youngest Brazil goalscorer in a competitive match since footballing icon Pele.
For Chelsea, the bright young forward has already made three Premier League appearances and notched his first assist for the west Londoners in a 5-1 demolition of West Ham at the London Stadium.
He’s also poised to appear in the Champions League after being named in their official squad for the league phase — travelling with Maresca’s men to face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena this week.
Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League so far
Average match rating
6. Tosin Adarabioyo
7.20
7. Pedro Neto
7.10
8. Estevao
7.04
9. Enzo Fernández
7.03
10. Robert Sanchez
6.79
via WhoScored
All eyes are now on the dazzling teenager, who has been called the best talent to come out of Brazil since Neymar.
“Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar. You watch him and you fall in love,” the head of Palmeiras’ academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, told BBC Sport last year.
“He already impresses with his technique but, like Neymar at this same point in his career, he has not yet matured physically and is not as strong as Endrick, so he could still develop a lot.
That’s what amazes everyone and makes them think that he will reach a much higher level.”
However, as Estevao continues to grab headlines with his potential, Stamford Bridge chiefs are convinced they’ll soon have the next “biggest thing” as well.
Chelsea convinced Dastan Satpaev could be their next Estevao
That is according to journalist Simon Phillips, who told his Substack that Chelsea expect big things from Dastan Satpaev — who’ll join Maresca’s side next summer once he turns 18.
Back in February, Chelsea agreed a £4 million deal to sign Satpaev from Kairat Almaty, which is a record transfer fee for the Kazakhstani first division.
Now, those within the club believe he actually could be the next Estevao.
“Chelsea believe they might have another Estevao Willian on their hands in terms of the next biggest thing rising up in the game,” Phillips wrote.
“Blues sources believe that Estevao will soon become a £200m player and the club have so much belief in him. We are not yet hearing the same comments about pending new striker Dastan Satpaev, but the club do hold huge belief in him also and think he could be a player in the similar category of the rising stars that Estevao is in.”
Interestingly, Chelsea’s faith in Satpaev is backed up by Fabrizio Romano.
Fabrizio Romano says Chelsea really rate Satpaev
The reliable transfer journalist, speaking after Chelsea put pen to paper, revealed that BlueCo actually beat a German club to the youngster’s signature and are convinced he’s got “special” skills.
“Chelsea is always working on future talents,” Romano said on YouTube.
“They believe this 16-year-old striker, who they signed, Dastan Satpaev, has special skills,” he told his YouTube channel.
“They beat a German club that offered more and got him £3.3 million, with add-ons included.”
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