Chelsea lost one of “England’s biggest jewels” for £0

Chelsea were beaten for the eighth time in the Premier League this season when they lost 1-0 to London rivals Arsenal at The Emirates on Sunday.

A header from Mikel Merino in the first half was enough to secure all three points for the home side, as the Blues blanked without Cole Palmer to rely upon in the final third.

Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto were selected on the flanks and combined for zero shots on target and zero chances created for their teammates in the match.

Unfortunately, Chelsea’s wingers failing to make much of an impact at the top end of the pitch has become a recurring theme for the club throughout the season.

None of Enzo Maresca‘s wide forwards have more than seven goals or more than four assists in the Premier League this term, which shows that they have all failed to provide consistency in the final third.

Chelsea may, now, be hoping that teenage talent Estevao Willian can come in and offer what they have been missing out wide when he eventually arrives at Cobham later this year.

Why Estevao Willian could solve Chelsea’s problems

The Brazil international is not due to officially sign for the Blues until his 18th birthday, which is not until April, and this means that they have had to wait until next season to bring him into the fold at Stamford Bridge.

A right-winger by trade, Estevao plays in the position that Chelsea have struggled with in the Premier League this term, as none of their wingers have offered a constant threat as a scorer or a creator of goals on either flank.

The 17-year-old attacker’s form for Palmeiras suggests that the potential is there for him to offer the consistency that they have lacked with the likes of Sancho, Noni Madueke, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Neto.

To date, Estevao has racked up 20 goals and ten assists

in 59 appearances for Palmeiras at first-team level, with five goals in 13 league matches in the current campaign.

As you can see in the clip above, the teenage sensation has had some brilliant moments in his young career already, twisting and turning Brazilian defences inside and out.

If he can translate these exciting performances over to England in the summer then Chelsea could have the winger that they have been crying out for, due to his ability to score and assist goals at an impressive rate.

However, Estevao has yet to test himself outside of his home country and remains an unknown quantity at Premier League and Champions League level, so it cannot be said for certain that he will come in and be an instant success at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea will be hoping that he can fulfil his potential with the Blues, though, to avoid becoming the latest young player to fail to make the grade at Cobham before thriving elsewhere.

When Chelsea fumbled one of England’s biggest jewels

The club have fumbled a number of highly impressive young talents over the years and it is Maresca’s job to ensure that Estevao gets every chance to become a success at Stamford Bridge.

Unfortunately, the likes of Michael Olise, Declan Rice, and Jamal Musiala, among others, were let go by the Blues before they got a chance to emerge in the senior side.

As you can see in the table above, Levi Colwill is the only player in the top five most valuable former Chelsea academy graduates who currently plays for the first-team.

Musiala, who joined Bayern Munich at U17 level in 2019, might be one star that they rue losing more than most, as his value has soared to a staggering £118m, and he has racked up 60 goals and 35 assists in 201 matches for the German side.

One lesser-known fumble by Chelsea, however, is that they also missed out on the chance to house England U21 international Ethan Nwaneri in their academy system, and he is now an even bigger talent than Estevao.

Transfermarkt does not state that the Arsenal star ever had a spell in Chelsea’s academy, but Gunners star Myles Lewis-Skelly recently revealed that he and Nwaneri were both at Cobham together in their younger days.

He told Arsenal’s website: “Before I joined Arsenal, I knew Ethan Nwaneri because we were at Chelsea together and we’ve kind of gone up the ranks together. “

Whether or not Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly were fully in their academy system, or on trial, we don’t know, but what we do know is that they fumbled the chance to keep them at the club. Since then, the duo have become key cogs at Arsenal, flourishing under Mikel Arteta.

Nwaneri was described as one of “England’s biggest jewels” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and is only a month younger than Estevao, but has already showcased his quality in the Premier League and the Champions League.

As you can see in the table above, Nwaneri has scored eight goals and provided one assist in his 12 starts in those three first-team competitions this season as an attacking midfielder or right winger.

Unlike Estevao, who has only proven himself in Brazil so far, the English phenomenon has emerged as a quality option for Mikel Arteta to call upon on the biggest stages in England and Europe.

Nwaneri, who became the youngest Premier League player in history at 15 years and 181 days old in 2022, has made a fast start to life at senior level with the Gunners, with eight goals in 31 matches, and looks to be getting better-and-better with more first-team exposure.

Therefore, Chelsea must regret that they were unable to keep hold of him, and Lewis-Skelly, when they were at Cobham earlier in his career, because he has now emerged as one of the biggest English prospects around – as per Kulig – and looks to be an even bigger talent than Estevao.

Until the Brazilian forward makes the step over to England in the summer, the soon-to-be Chelsea attacker has not proven himself in the biggest leagues or competitions in the world, which means that he is behind Nwaneri as a proven talent at this moment in time.

The Blues, though, will now be hoping that Estevao will hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge next season and outperform the Arsenal star in the Premier League, and the Champions League.