Enzo Maresca issues warning about ‘biggest mistake’ Chelsea can do with Estevao Willian after Brazilian prodigy completes Stamford Bridge switch

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has advised against putting too much pressure on new signing Estevao Willian. The Blues agreed a £29m move with Palmeiras for the Brazilian last year and he has joined up with the team this summer.

Speaking recently, as cited by The Independent, Maresca was full of praise for the 18-year-old.

“We need to pay a little bit more attention, because first of all he’s from the other part of the world and also he’s very, very young. So we need to pay attention. As I said, (he is) not under pressure, give him happiness, give him time, he needs to adapt. Hopefully we can give him minutes, so he’s even more happy. But for sure, he’s a talented player.”

He continued:

“For me, the biggest mistake we can do with him is to put him under pressure. He’s very young, he needs to adapt. I met him for the first time in the USA when we played against Palmeiras. He’s a fantastic player, he’s very young, he’s a happy boy. He’s always laughing, typical from a Brazilian guy, and we need to keep him happy.”

Maresca went on to compare Estevao with Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer.

“He can play everywhere. He’s so good. For me, he’s like Cole (Palmer), in terms of – careful – he is like Cole in terms of his position. He can play outside, he can play inside, he can play everywhere. In our five attacking positions, for me, he can play everywhere,” said Maresca.

Interestingly, Estevao scored for Palmeiras in the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal this summer.

Will Nicolas Jackson leave Chelsea this summer?

Enzo Maresca has refused to rule out Nicolas Jackson's possible exit from Chelsea this summer. The Senegalese striker has become surplus to requirements for the Blues following the arrival of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap in the current transfer window.

Speaking recently, as cited by The BBC, Maresca remained coy about Jackson's future.

"When the transfer window is open, unfortunately or fortunately, anything can happen. This also involves Nico's situation. At the moment we also had two strikers arrive, Joao [Pedro] and Liam [Delap]. So we will see what happens," said Maresca.

Chelsea reportedly paid Villarreal £32m for his services in the summer of 2023. With Newcastle United interested in the 24-year-old, the Blues are likely to demand double that amount this summer.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9500 articles for the website, and has garnered close to 21 million reads.

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Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit