Dio
Andre Cury, the agent of Estevao Willian, disclosed that one of the main reasons the teenager chose to join the Blues over a plethora of other suitors was Chelsea’s readiness to allow his client to play in a central, attacking midfield role.
The Brazilian forward agreed to join Chelsea last summer after quickly earning the nickname “Messinho” (little Messi) for his dribbling prowess and left-footedness. The Palmeiras starlet is not yet eighteen, so he won’t be able to join his new team until after the next Club World Cup.
Chelsea’s ambitious ownership has made it a habit to sign young players from all over the world. The Blues outbid Manchester United in recent weeks to sign Sporting CP’s Geovany Quenda, who is highly sought after.
The line of suitors vying for Estevao’s signature was even longer. Both La Liga powerhouses, Barcelona and Real Madrid, gave the record-breaking Brazilian adoring looks, and Arsenal was predicted to be interested in him.
Due to the positional flexibility they were willing to give him, Estevao ultimately chose Chelsea, a team that had just placed sixth in the Premier League.
“It was the only club that saw us as No 10, to play in midfield,” Estevao’s agent Cury told O Globo. “I may be wrong, but we will have the opportunity. I think we will be right, so that was also something that weighed heavily.”
It’s interesting to note that Estevao does not play for Palmeiras as a central, attacking midfielder, or “No 10.” Abel Ferreira always chooses Brazil international Raphael Veiga when he lines up with a system that includes a player in that position.
Cury is undeterred, insisting that Estevao’s best position is through the middle. “In my opinion, on my team he plays as a ten,” the agent added. “They like to put him on the wing. I think it’s too narrow for a player of that quality, I think that… like all players of that quality in the world, he’s usually the No 10, so the No 10 plays inside.”
The indisputable fact that Chelsea’s top player currently holds the No. 10 position further complicates things. Cole Palmer, the focal point of Enzo Maresca’s 4-2-3-1, is essentially always there for the Blues. Palmer missed his first Premier League match in eleven months when he was forced to miss Chelsea’s lackluster loss to Arsenal prior to the March international break due to a minor injury.
