Chelsea looked very impressive last night in a pre-season match against Bayer Leverkusen. In fact, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was particularly excited by one Blues star.
On Friday night, Chelsea beat Leverkusen 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the first of two pre-season friendlies. The next one takes place on Sunday afternoon at home to AC Milan.
Enzo Maresca’s group have a short pre-season schedule because they played in this summer’s Club World Cup, where they won the tournament to become world champions, but the squad still looked extremely sharp against Leverkusen.
Estevao Willian opened the scoring on his first appearance for the Blues before Joao Pedro added a late second.
Chelsea fans were blown away by Estevao during a magical debut, where he showed why there’s so much hype around him. In fairness, he was one of several individuals to impress in a one-sided affair against Bundesliga outfit Leverkusen.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink claims Chelsea fans will fall in love with Estevao Willian
Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink really enjoyed watching Estevao during his dazzling performance, which lasted 77 minutes before he left to a warm round of applause.
He’s actually predicted that the 18-year-old Brazilian attacker will become a massive fan favourite.
When discussing Estevao during half-time of his debut, Hasselbaink said on Channel 5 (7:50pm, 8 August): “He’s had a great start. He’s going to be one of the supporters’ favourites. How he touches the ball, how direct he is, his passes. He plays with a lot of guts. Here he is in the right spot and the right place (for his goal), and it looks like a simple tap-in. But he takes it really well with the inside of his foot. He’s a great prospect…
“What I like about him as well, he does a lot without the ball. When Chelsea have the ball, he runs in spaces without the ball. Not a lot of wide players do that anymore. He attacks with the ball. He’s had a lot of touches. They are looking for him. Him and [Cole] Palmer are playing together. They are looking for each other and trying to get some kind of connection. And it’s working.”
In fairness, Chelsea supporters have been admiring from a distance Estevao’s performances for Palmeiras during the past year. It’s been a long wait to finally see the teenage forward play for the club because this summer’s transfer was confirmed in June 2024.
Estevao has been so excited to play for Chelsea, mentioning his desire to experience the Premier League and Champions League.
It would be reasonable to give the youngster plenty of time to adjust to life in a completely new environment, but we expect the fanfare to grow rapidly because he looks ready right now to shine for the Blues.
Early signs of the Estevao Willian X Cole Palmer combination
Cole Palmer has been the talisman of Chelsea’s attack for the last two years, carrying so much pressure on his back. Therefore, he must be delighted with the quality of the new signings, particularly in the forward line.
Palmer and Estevao shared the pitch for the first time during the opening 45 minutes against Leverkusen, and it was obvious to spot an immediate understanding between the duo.
| Player | Minutes played | Goals | Total shots | Chances created | Accurate passes | Was fouled | Match rating |
| Cole Palmer | 45 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 28/31 (90%) | 1 | 7.3 |
| Estevao Willian | 77 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 25/30 (83%) | 2 | 8.3 |
The left-footed playmakers combined together on several occasions, causing a lot of havoc around the inside right channel.
At the Club World Cup, Palmer hailed Estevao’s quality after coming up against him. Now they’re on the same team, we’re confident that they can build a lethal partnership over time, especially after seeing them operate on the same wavelength from day one.
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