This is a syndication of the article originally published for the BBC, here.
He has a first Premier League start, he has a first assist for Chelsea, he even has a song. Estevao Willian was supposed to be worked gradually into the picture at Stamford Bridge, but circumstances have accelerated the whole process significantly.
Fans were warned for a long time before he arrived that he was going to need time to adapt to life in England and to the Premier League. But any attempts to temper expectations have been ruined by his dynamic start to life in west London.
He shone in two friendlies, then had a chance for a league start before the end of August handed to him by Cole Palmer’s late withdrawal from the squad on Friday night as the Blues prepared to face West Ham.
He played 77 electric minutes in the end, contributing to the demolition of a rotten Hammers team.
Estevao making sensible caution look foolish
But Estevao’s breathtaking ability isn’t the only impressive thing about him. He is also unbelievably mature, taking everything in his stride and looking as comfortable starting in the Premier League for his new team as he did for his boyhood club in the Brasileirao.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca’s attempts to bring the winger down to earth a little by using his post-game interview to point to Estevao’s errant flick which was turned into West Ham’s opening goal are understandable – but felt futile.
The valiant efforts by Maresca to try to stop the hype building to damaging levels can only do so much when the teenager looks so good and so confident on the pitch. He’s already more than a rising star, and increasingly the problem for the manager is going to be how to avoid the rising calls to start him every week; rather than how best to work him into the action slowly and safely.
Will Faulks @willfaulks
You said it yourself—it was West Ham, lol! So let’s not get carried away here. Almost any other league match will be far tougher. And, besides, he was far from perfect (with a bad turnover leading to a goal and a pretty poor miss when he was in on goal). Runaway exuberance and sky high expectations are the kid’s (and ultimately the club’s) worst enemy right now. So why are you gleefully fueling them when there is nothing to gain and plenty to lose from them? There’ll be more than enough minutes to go around provided we don’t get knocked out early in the cup competitions, so maybe it’s worth taking a hint from Maresca and pumping the brakes a bit on the hype. Just saying…