The transfer strategy at Chelsea under Todd Boehly has clearly shifted towards signing young talent who can lead the club towards a decade of success.
Whether that’s signing already-made superstars for crazy fees like Moises Caicedo or looking further afield for talent such as Kendry Paez.
Mauricio Pochettino also shares a similar vision, with the Blues’ starting lineup against Brighton & Hove Albion having an average age of 23.4.
However, Chelsea aren’t finished with signing youthful talents just yet, as they look to complete a move for a gem who could lead the rebuild alongside Cole Palmer.
Chelsea will look to sign a new attacker
As per a report from Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are preparing a bid to sign the highly-rated Estevao Willian.
The club intends to pay more than the attacker's £47m release clause, which should be enough to secure his services ahead of competitors.
The reasoning behind this is that Chelsea will benefit more from the “payment terms and more than 40% of the potential final fee in add-ons".
Estevao would become the 20th Brazilian to play for Chelsea, alongside notable icons such as Thiago Silva, David Luiz, and Ramires.
Why Estevao could thrive alongside Palmer
The 2023/24 Premier League campaign has well and truly been Palmer’s season, with the attacking midfielder ripping the league apart with his brilliance.
Everyone clued in with the Premier League knew that the England international was extremely talented, but nobody would have predicted that he would score 22 goals and provide ten assists this season. For context, no player in the English top flight has more.
What makes the Chelsea number 20’s signing even sweeter is that he arrived at Stamford Bridge for £40m from 'rivals' Manchester City, which looks like an absolute bargain given the influence he’s had on the side.
There’s the potential that Boehly views the signing of Estevao in a similar light to Palmer, with the hopes that the 17-year-old could bring frequent silverware back to the club.
Goals
1
Key passes
6
Shots
5
Successful dribbles
11/15
Duels won
13
Touches
89
According to Transfermarkt, the tricky winger has played 21 times in 2024 since being integrated into the squad, boasting a fantastic record of seven goals and three assists.
However, the game that really put the spotlight on him was Palmeiras’ Copa do Brasil clash against Botafogo-SP, with his stats highlighted above.
Firstly, the statistics that stand out above all are his incredible six key passes and 11 successful dribbles, which are far superior to Mykhalo Mudryk's, for example, who boasts one and 1.3, respectively, per game in the league this season.
This proves that Estevao is an incredibly dangerous player, as he can not only create via his passing ability, but he can slice defences apart with his mesmerising dribbling, hence why he's been compared to an early version of Neymar Jr by football analyst Ben Mattinson.
On top of that, the Brazilian is clearly able to hold his own against the physical opposition, and he’s not shy of confidence, winning 13 duels and taking five shots, with a goal being the cherry on top of a complete performance.
There's simply no debate that Estevao and Palmer would be a frightening duo that could tear the league apart for years to come, and the attacker's ability to score and assist could genuinely make Chelsea unstoppable.
Additionally, It’s clear that the number 41 is one of the most exciting prospects in the world, and it’s no surprise that Ben Mattinson has also labelled him a “future Ballon d’Or winner.”
That said, despite all the hype surrounding his name, forking out such a large fee on a player with such little experience comes with plenty of risk, but the upside is more than worthwhile.
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ByTom LeverMay 16, 2024