Estevao Willian: How will Palmeiras star adapt to Chelsea, what are Brazil international's strengths and weaknesses?

With the upcoming transfer window in European football on the radar, it is time for Palmeiras fans to say goodbye to Estevao Willian. The young star arrives at Chelsea having just turned 18 at the end of May, and there are questions: how will he play in Enzo Maresca’s team?

He was a midfielder when he emerged from Cruzeiro’s academy and later at Palmeiras, still known as “Messinho.” In the professional ranks, he followed the classic path of most precocious and skillful youngsters: he was moved out wide. And, in recent months under Abel, he returned to midfield.

But ultimately, where will Estevao play at Chelsea? The Brasileiro star will have to contend with a bloated squad, several young players with potential in various positions, and a steep adaptation curve before he can truly showcase his football.

Estevao's strengths at Palmeiras

Making his debut for Palmeiras’ senior team at just 16, Estevao has already shown remarkable versatility. Playing mainly as a right winger in a 4-2-3-1 system, he has also been used as a wing-back, attacking midfielder, and even as a centre-forward in different situations. His ability to adapt to multiple roles is one of the traits that make him such an intriguing prospect.

In Abel Ferreira’s system, he starts high and wide, often staying close to the touchline to create space for teammates. When playing with Raphael Veiga, he shares creative duties in the right half-space.

And with a full-back making overlapping runs beside him, Estevao plays a crucial role in stretching defences and creating numerical superiority, which he can exploit with passes to the overlapping full-back, combinations with midfielders to break free, or by dribbling past opponents.

Main strengths and areas for improvement

One of the greatest strengths of Palmeiras’ gem is his dribbling ability in tight and medium spaces. Agile and two-footed, his change of pace makes him a real nightmare for opposing full-backs and defenders.

Estevao has also shown great progress as a playmaker from wide areas, and has improved the consistency of his final pass. His vision is clear, as he often looks to deliver dangerous in-swinging crosses and final-third passes — his nine assists in last year’s Brasileiro are proof of that.

His finishing is one of the most exciting aspects of his game. But even with the ability to shoot with either foot, his decision-making under pressure is still a work in progress.

His xG (expected goals) numbers suggest that he often attempts low-probability shots from outside the box, rather than working for higher-quality finishing positions. In the current Brasileiro, for example, he has 1.25 expected goals but hasn’t scored — averaging 1.7 shots per game, but only 0.2 on target.

Intelligence and movement

What sets the Brazilian apart from other developing wingers is his understanding of space and movement. Despite his young age, he consistently makes intelligent runs to exploit gaps in the opposition defence — whether cutting inside, running in behind, or playing quick one-twos to lose his marker.

However, he has already shown some issues with offside awareness, sometimes “ball-watching” instead of adjusting his position to stay onside. Improving his timing and awareness will be crucial at the highest level, where he will face ever-faster, more coordinated defensive lines ready to exploit any weakness.

Defensively, he presses aggressively, often chasing opponents over long distances. However, his defensive tracking is inconsistent, and he sometimes loses his man in transitions. Given the defensive demands of the Premier League, he will need to refine his tactical discipline in this phase of the game.

Where Estevao fits at Chelsea

Under Enzo Maresca, the Blues are one of the most clearly organised teams in the Premier League. And the right side, where Estevao would be most active, is a crucial cog in their system.

The right-back is usually inverted — that is, plays as a holding midfielder in possession. The left-back stays deeper, forming a back three, and the London side puts great emphasis on wingers to provide width and depth in their 4-2-3-1.

The Palmeiras gem could slot in as a right winger or as an attacking midfielder. In fact, Andre Cury, the player’s agent, has already said in an interview that the main reason for choosing Chelsea was that the club’s plan included Estevao as a number 10.

Given that Cole Palmer, the team’s main player, occupies that role, it is hard to imagine the Brazilian taking his place. Initially, he may get minutes as a substitute for Pedro Neto/Noni Madueke on the right, but he will have a long road to establish himself in the position.

That is because, in Chelsea’s system, the winger usually stays wide on the right, since Palmer tends to occupy the right half-space. As a result, they tend to be more about pace and dribbling than creativity.

Of course, this is not a hard rule and varies from game to game. In the final round of the Premier League, for example, Neto played as a centre-forward and Madueke was on the right, but his heat map showed he spent much more time in the half-space than out wide. Meanwhile, Palmer was much more to the left, combining with Sancho.

Estevao’s versatility is a plus for the Brazilian: he can play in Palmer’s role, on either wing, and even as a false nine, depending on the situation. And the quality of the players around him means there’s more potential for coordinated passing, quick combinations, and dribbling.

Even so, the Brazilian will have to prove that he is up to the level required to get past stronger, faster, and smarter defenders, and to handle a more fluid, detail-oriented system with the ball than what he experienced under Abel Ferreira at Palmeiras.

This article was originally featured on Trivela.

Written by
Darren Plant