Chelsea still see Estêvão as untouchable despite limited minutes
Estêvão Willian is yet to start a Premier League match this season and has played only 23 league minutes, but Chelsea reportedly still view the 19-year-old as untouchable.
That gap between his place in the squad and his minutes on the pitch is the issue facing Xabi Alonso. The teenager has featured for just 23 minutes, excluding added time, from a possible 450 in the Premier League.
Our concern over Estêvão’s limited minutes is hard to separate from the crowded attack. But his lack of starts has not, according to football.london, changed Chelsea’s view of his future.
Alonso has a selection problem, but Chelsea are not letting go
Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has questioned Alonso’s reluctance to start the Brazilian. He believes Estêvão’s creativity and courage should give the manager reason to find room for him alongside João Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.
“I’d love to see Estevao on the pitch soon. I think he’s exceptional,” Hasselbaink said.
He also challenged the idea that the Blues cannot fit a fourth attacking player into the side. That is a fair question, even if the current trio’s form has made them virtually undroppable.
Alonso has used a 3-4-3 for most of the campaign, with wing-backs on both sides. The report says he is reluctant to use Estêvão in a wing-back role and sees him as more effective in one of the front three positions.
That leaves a young attacker waiting for an opening in a line-up with little room to spare. His Premier League eligibility is not addressed in this discussion; selection remains the central issue.
Football.london reports that Alonso has dismissed speculation about Estêvão’s future and believes he has a significant part to play for the rest of the campaign. Chelsea sources, the outlet adds, still consider the winger untouchable, with the club’s appreciation of him undiminished.
Barcelona have been linked with the Brazilian, but Stamford Bridge insiders reportedly insist he is not for sale. Hasselbaink’s point is that Estêvão could make the established attackers work harder for their places, rather than simply waiting behind them.
The immediate challenge is to turn that potential into minutes. With Palmer, Rogers and João Pedro in form, Estêvão will need to take any opening he gets; Chelsea’s reported stance, however, is that limited involvement does not make him available to leave.
In other news…
Chelsea’s reported position on Estêvão is firm despite outside interest, with the teenager still regarded as part of the club’s plans.
The stance on Estêvão’s future amid transfer interest remains an important counterpoint to his lack of league starts.
