Andrey Santos is a fan of new Chelsea signing Estevao Willian and believes the teenager is the face of Brazilian football and will go right to the top.
Chelsea officially announced the signing of Estevao on Saturday with the teenager signing a long term deal at Stamford Bridge, and he will join up with his new team-mates after the Club World Cup in 2025.
Estevao becomes Chelsea’s fifth signing from South America after Santos, Kendry Paez, Angelo Gabriel and Deivid Washington, with the club increasingly tapping into the market under the new ownership.
Santos believes Estevao will go right to the top
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the 17-year-old who is viewed as one of the biggest talents in South America.
Estevao made his debut for Palmeiras last December as a 16-year-old and has since gone on to make 24 appearances, scoring five goals and providing three assists.
Brazil legend Neymar believes the teenager is the next big talent in Brazilian football and tipped Estevao to become a “genius.”
Santos, who made the switch to Chelsea in January 2023, but has yet to make a competitive appearance for the Blues revealed he’s a big fan of Estevao and thinks his countryman will go to the top.
“I’m a fan of Estevão, he told the Fora do Jogo YouTube channel.
“I was always telling my dad about him, I knew he’d make his debut quickly because of his quality.
“He’s very focused, with personality, he’s the image of Brazilian football, and he’ll go to the top for sure.”
There’s still a year to wait until Estevao does join up with his new team-mates, and in the mean time Santos will be hoping he can establish himself as part of Enzo Maresca’s first team squad next season having impressed at Strasbourg over the second half of last season.
The teenager impressed last pre-season under Mauricio Pochettino and he will be hoping to do the same again at the end of July when Chelsea head off to America.
