Estevao will not become Chelsea’s forgotten man
Estevao will not become Chelsea’s forgotten man
Matt LawWed, September 9, 2026 at 6:01 AM UTC
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Estevao Willian will hope to be handed his second Carabao Cup start of the season against Leeds - Getty Images/Richard Pelham
As recently as March, a giant mural of Estêvão Willian appeared on the side of a building outside Stamford Bridge as the teenager threatened to become Chelsea’s number one poster boy.
He may no longer hold top billing outside the club, following a summer in which Chelsea spent a club-record £117m on Morgan Rogers to complete a fearsome front three alongside Cole Palmer and João Pedro.
A giant mural of the Brazilian teenager appeared on the side of a building close to Stamford Bridge in March
But inside Stamford Bridge, nothing has changed. Estêvão remains one of Chelsea’s star boys and is part of an “untouchable” group of players that also includes Palmer, Rogers and Pedro. Sources believe Estêvão is a player the club will look at rewarding with an improved contract in the coming months.
Having already earned his Chelsea “untouchable” status, the next challenge for the 19-year-old winger – once nicknamed “Messinho” – is to make himself undroppable.
Estêvão may not be a perfect fit for Xabi Alonso’s three-at-the-back formation that features two 10s – Palmer and Rogers – behind a striker. But the boy from Brazil is certainly not being squeezed out and Chelsea’s manager has spoken of the need to be flexible.
Alonso switched to three forwards behind Pedro for the trip to Arsenal and, although Pedro Neto started wide right before him, Estêvão will have been encouraged that the Spaniard’s early plans do not appear to be set in stone.
The mural may have gone, but Estêvão remains one of the faces of Chelsea’s global brand. Had he watched the club’s video to unveil the new front-of-shirt sponsor, then he would have noticed that his celebration after scoring a dramatic equaliser against Liverpool last October features in it.
After a lively cameo in which he nearly rescued a point for Chelsea as a substitute against Arsenal with a brilliant curling shot, Estêvão will hope to be handed his second Carabao Cup start by Alonso against Leeds United on Wednesday night.
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And with Hull City next to visit Stamford Bridge in the Premier League at the weekend, Estêvão will have the chance to convince Alonso to sacrifice a third centre-back in favour of his one-on-one ability against a side who do not seek to have possession and will camp men behind the ball.
“Estêvão is ready, he’s training well,” said Alonso. “The other day, he had a very good impact. He has a great chance. So he’s fully involved and he has a very good attitude every day. One hundred per cent [he has an important part to play]. He’s in that process to adapt and to learn quickly. The season is going to be long.”
It was a game against Leeds, at Elland Road in December, that Enzo Maresca, Chelsea’s former head coach, described as being Estêvão’s “welcome to the Premier League” after the teenager had been booked and substituted at half-time during a 3-1 defeat.
Maresca had badly underestimated the strength of feeling between Leeds and Chelsea, and Estêvão could not be blamed for being underprepared for it. But he will now know exactly what to expect when Daniel Farke’s team visit Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
This is Estêvão’s second year in England and his adaptation is said to be going well. His English is improving and the teenager is often joined by members of his family for club events. While Estêvão naturally gravitates towards fellow Brazilian Pedro and the Portuguese and Spanish speakers at Stamford Bridge, he is understood to integrate himself into different groups within the squad.
While Estevao naturally gravitates towards players like fellow Brazilian Joao Pedro, he integrates himself into different groups within the squad - Reuters/John Sibley
Should he need advice or guidance, he now has the likes of Jordan Henderson, Danny Welbeck and Emiliano Martínez he can look to, and Thiago Silva, the former Chelsea defender, has been a strong influence in the early stages of Estêvão’s career.
Sources have not seen any telltale signs of unhappiness or frustration, other than the normal desire of an ambitious footballer who wants to play as much as possible.
The outside world might be focusing on Palmer, Rogers and Pedro right now. But Chelsea fans have not forgotten Estêvão’s goals and performances against Liverpool and Barcelona, when he upstaged Lamine Yamal, last season.
A hamstring injury robbed him of a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad, but Chelsea are convinced Estêvão’s comeback will be greater than his setback. If it is, then it will not be too long before his image is on more buildings.
Source: “AOL Sports”
