Chelsea wonderkid Estevao breaks Neymar record

Chelsea have a deal in place worth £51m from Palmeiras wonderkid Estevao Willian to bring him to the Bridge in the 2025 summer transfer window. For now, the 17-year old remains with the Brazilian side until the end of the season and contnues to light up the league with his stand out performances. 

With his most recent game with Palmeiras, a 5-3 win away at EC Juventude, Estevao has broken the record for most goal contributions by an under-17 player in the Brazilian league, previously held by Neymar. The 32-year-old reached 16 goals and assists for Santos in 2009, but with his goal and assist on Monday, Estevao now counts 18/GA in the league. The Chelsea gem could still extend his record, with eight matchdays still left to provide more goal contributions.

Allowing Estevao more time with Palmeiras before moving to London, has seemed to work out for all parties involved. With Chelsea's star-packed squad, it would've been extremely hard to intergrate the player in the squad with the likes of Palmer, Nkunku, Mudryk, Sancho, Felix, Pedro Neto and Madueke already having to share minutes in attack for Maresca. 

At Palmeiras, Estevao has the opportubity to continue to develop without the pressure that comes with Chelsea's demanding environment. Head coach Maresca has also praised the young talent, expressing his delight with his performances with Palmeiras. "We are following him, he's doing fantastic. Unfortunately, he's doing fantastic there, and not with us," the Italian boss joked. "We are waiting for him next summer. We are very happy with how he's doing".

 

October 21, 2024