Enzo Maresca full of praise for Chelsea’s ‘fantastic’ £51m summer signing

Enzo Maresca was full of praise for summer signing Estevao Willian and said Chelsea are delighted by his sparkling form for boyhood club Palmeiras.

Having kept close tabs on Estevao for some time, the Blues wrapped up a deal – worth an initial fee of £29million – for the 17-year-old in June.

That deal, however, could rise to as high as £51m with various add-ons, a fee that would see him become the most expensive Brazilian teenager in history.

For now, Estevao has remained in Brazil for another season to continue his development away from the bright lights of the Premier League.

However, those inside Stamford Bridge – including head coach Maresca – are already looking forward to working with the Brazilian next year having seen the attacker rack up four goals and two assists in his last four games.

‘Yes, we are following him. He is doing fantastic – but, unfortunately, he is doing fantastic there and not with us,’ the Italian said after his side’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.

‘We are going to wait until next summer when he will arrive here but, for sure, we are very happy in the way he is doing these things.’

With the likes of Pedro Neto, Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix arriving this summer alone, Estevao will face a battle to force his way into Maresca’s fist-team plans next season.

But, according to the teenager’s agent, Chelsea are, in fact, keen to deploy the winger more centrally and provide competition for Cole Palmer.

‘He can adapt to any style of play,” Estevao’s representative Andre Cury told UOL in Brazil.

‘Chelsea is a club that sees Estevao playing as a number ten, for us that is important. He can develop even more playing in the middle.’

The Blues are back in action this Saturday when they travel across London to take on West Ham.

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