What Chelsea star Estevao Willian has done before transfer speaks volumes as Neymar plan revealed

In just a sliver of a second, Estevao Willian showed the world why there had been so much hype. Playing in his second match against European opposition ever, and not just any old opponent, he found a gap to shoot through which did not exist.

If his stock had been high prior to the Club World Cup then this moment was the final clincher on top of a growing mountain of reasons why he is viewed as the inheritor to Neymar’s throne. The Club World Cup has, if nothing else, raised his profile again.

Many questioned just how valuable his 13 goals and nine assists in Brazil’s Serie A really was last season. A teenager, who played half the year as a 16-year-old, in the top division of men’s football is always impressive. But there is uncertainty over how that translates to England.

Palmeiras are stronger than most in their league and Estevao has played plenty against sides much closer to those at the bottom of the Championship or League One rather than Premier League. With his displays against Porto, a solid Champions League outfit, and Chelsea, fair bit was answered.

Estevao looks increasingly ready to have a role at Stamford Bridge next season. No matter how big that role is, his talent is taking him to places not available to many 18-year-olds.

From initially being sounded out for gradually integration like Tyrique George, hitting 1,500 minutes across all competitions, Estevao has passed tests that suggest he will be more than capable of surpassing this. We must be wary of going overboard, especially with his move to a new country and a new language (which Cole Palmer, for one, doesn’t seem to think he speaks very well right now).

But Estevao’s exposure to this level of football in America, and his performances under the microscope, show that there is plenty more than just noise around his game. There is quality to reasonably justify the £29million fee and £21million in add-ons.

History, and logic, urges caution. Estevao is not ready yet to be a superstar on the field. He may well be one to Brazil but he is not in a position to generate the goals and assists of a £51million player. That comes in the future, or so Chelsea and Estevao hope.

Players who leave South America need time and patience. It took Neymar a while before he truly exploded at Barcelona. He had an extra few years in Serie A before being signed.

His starting levels were above that of Estevao but he was more advanced and experienced as a player. Comparatively, Estevao is ahead of Neymar on output for the same age.

He has also far surpassed Vinicius Jr, who made the switch from Flamengo to Real Madrid in 2018. At the time it was he that took on the Neymar mantle.

Vinicius had only started 15 senior league games before the transfer, scoring seven goals and assisting three from 1,800 minutes. His only full year in Brazil saw him play 25 times but only start four. He was a regular by the time it came to depart.

As for Estevao, he was given his first chance as a 15-year-old, earlier than Vinicius. He was just 16 when starting 26 league games, coming off the bench in another five. His output from that year alone was more than Vinicius Jr across 18 months.

That shows the sort of plane he is on in this conversation. It may well help him adapt to Chelsea more smoothly than Vinicius did to Madrid. There, under more pressure and scrutiny, plus expectation, he took three years before scoring more than three league goals.

Vinicius went from nine starts to 12, then to 22. His appearances followed the same trend. 18 became 29 which rose to 35. The goals were gradual: Two, then three, then three again. Assists went from none and one to three.

In his fourth year, Vinicius was nearly unplayable. It is still his best La Liga campaign to date. He scored 17 times and assisted 10, blowing his previous output out of the water in one go.

He played 700 minutes more than the year before, starting 30 games and playing in 35. He had previously gone from less than 900 minutes to just under 1,400, then a touch below 2,000.

This is the sort of gradual process which Estevao will still have to go through. If his Brazilian numbers are anything to go by, then Chelsea can be very confident indeed.