Last week it was Estevao Willian’s final home match as a Palmeiras player. He only turned 18 in April but was treated like a king. Maybe that is what the promise of £51million in total transfer fees can do.
On Sunday it was his final Serie A game (the Brazilian top flight). His farewell tour goes on with at least one month left. For his new club, Chelsea, all eyes are watching.
Estevao was the division’s second top scorer with 13 in 2024. He also assisted nine. He was a 17-year-old for most of this and surpassed the numbers Neymar was putting up at Santos at the same age.
Chelsea’s deal to sign Estevao always meant he would play all of last season and the start of this one. FIFA rules restrict players from moving internationally like this until they turn 18.
The lap of honour for Estevao, who almost helped Palmeiras to the title, was a fitting way to reward the side who have nurtured such an intense talent. However, with the Club World Cup coming up, Chelsea will have to wait a bit longer to get their hands on Estevao, who has already made his Brazil debut.
The attacker has been selected by new manager Carlo Ancelotti for upcoming games, as well. He is expected to be part of Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea squad for the 2025/26 season as he is integrated into the setup at Stamford Bridge.
The Club World Cup complicates matters. Palmeiras have qualified for the newly revamped tournament which is due to take place in America later this month. Chelsea, ideally, would have had Estevao with them in order to get a head start on the induction, but it will not play out like that.
Instead, Estevao will still be playing in green for his current side. Exactly when he will return to Chelsea is unknown. Should the Blues get to the final then their last match would be on July 13. That is a little over a month before the Premier League season starts.
Given that Estevao will not have had any sort of rest before the Club World Cup, like many of the Chelsea players, he could use Palmeiras’ exit (unless they stun everyone to win) as a chance to recover and move to England. He will then have a brief period to acclimatise at Cobham before the work begins on preparations for the next season.
In short, Estevao will play for Palmeiras for as long as their Club World Cup goes on for. He will then likely take a break whilst moving to Chelsea before getting down to business. Depending on how far Chelsea get into the competition will also determine how long everyone has to play with.
If they crash out in the group stage – which isn’t expected due to the quality of their opponents – then there would be six weeks until the Premier League opening weekend. This allows for more recovery and a slightly extended pre-season. Estevao will have to remain flexible with his plans in order to accommodate for how both Palmeiras and Chelsea fair in USA.
For now, Chelsea will have to continue watching Estevao from afar. They hope that he will be worth the wait.
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