Owen Hargreaves backs Chelsea summer signing to ‘blow everyone away’

Chelsea have spent almost £250m on summer signings and Owen Hargreaves believes Estevao Willian could be the most exciting of the lot.

The Premier League club agreed to sign Brazil winger Estevao from Palmeiras in May but agreed the move would not take place until the summer.

Estevao scored 27 goals in 83 appearances for boyhood club Palmeiras, quickly establishing himself as one of the most highly-rated players in Brazil.

Despite only turning 18 earlier in the year, Estevao has already earned five caps for Brazil and received praise from national team boss Carlo Ancelotti, formerly of Real Madrid.

Estevao featured in the Club World Cup for Palmeiras before finally moving to Chelsea and playing under Enzo Maresca in pre-season.

It took the teenager just 18 minutes to score in his first appearance at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea beat Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on Friday night.

Chelsea have high hopes for Estevao , who was signed by Nike at the age of 10, and Hargreaves believes he will ‘blow people away’ next season.

Asked who he views as Chelsea’s most exciting summer signing, the former England midfielder told TNT Sports: ‘Estevao… this kid is like Cole Palmer with his style of play.

‘I think people are going to be blown away by him. Obviously he’s very young but talent-wise, he’s going to get people off their seats.

‘Him and Palmer together with Joao Pedro as well… I mean, if Chelsea just add a goalkeeper they’ll be in the top-four, for sure.’

Estavao Willian, expert analysis

‘Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar,’ the head of Palmeiras’ academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, told BBC Sport. ‘You watch him and you fall in love.

‘He already impresses with his technique but, like Neymar at this same point in his career, he has not yet matured physically and is not as strong as Endrick, so he could still develop a lot.

‘That’s what amazes everyone and makes them think that he will reach a much higher level.

“When we won the 2022 U-17 Brazilian Championship title, Estevao ended up breaking one of his toes during a decisive game.

‘But even so he still didn’t want to leave [the game], so he came to me at half-time saying, “I’ll go back for the second half”. And I challenged him: “You better go back.”

‘And so he had a painkilling injection in his toe and told me, “I’ll go back, score a goal and look for you in the stands to shush you.” That’s how strong he is mentally.

‘I would say that with Estevao it’s not a matter of whether this place is easier or not because he’s the kind of player that just goes there and gets things done.

‘When you are an extra-class like him, that’s how you do it.’

Real Madrid hero Ancelotti gave Estevao his first start for Brazil in June and later described him as a ‘special talent’.

‘He’s got a special talent,’ the Brazil boss said. ‘He’s got character, he’s a good person, he’s humble.

‘He seems fine to me, but with a young player we have to be patient and careful. He has the characteristics to be very important for the future of the national team.’

Former Chelsea winger Willian, meanwhile, said of the Premier League’s new wonderkid: ‘He has great potential like [Barcelona winger] Lamine Yamal, they have a similar style.

‘I hope he can be very successful in England playing for Chelsea, that he can score a lot of goals in the Chelsea jersey and will help them to win titles.’

Chelsea recovered from a blip midway through last season to end the campaign with Champions League football secured and a Conference League trophy in the bag.

Maresca’s side continued their encouraging form over the summer, beating the likes of PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to win the Club World Cup.

Chelsea begin their 2025-26 Premier League campaign on Sunday against London rivals Crystal Palace.

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