Estêvão is already a ceiling-raiser for Chelsea's attack

When trying to pick out the title contenders for the 2025-26 Premier League season, there were three teams which kept popping up in their own tier: Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City. It’s not hard to see why that was the case. The trio ticked the boxes needed to be in the elite class of PL sides: past performance over the last 3 years, the track record of the three coaches, and the current squad makeup (although one could argue Man City are the shakiest of the three in this department).

If there was a wildcard club who could make it a four horse race (or even replace one of the horses within that established top 3), the most likely candidate was Chelsea. They had a satisfactory 24-25 season, doing what was needed by qualifying for the Champions League and winning the UEFA Conference League. The 2025 summer window was another one of high volume roster churning, which has become a staple of their approach to squad building. It played into why we here at The Transfer Flow had them 4th in our season preview rankings. 

Included in the summer official arrival was Estêvão, who Chelsea actually signed in May 2024 from Palmeiras, but the Brazilian winger didn’t come over until he turned 18. Teams generally don’t rely on teenagers to be net-positive contributors, especially with the Premier League becoming such an intense league. However, the former Palmeiras starlet is no ordinary 18 year old. In his age 16 season, Estêvão had 22 goals and assists in just over 2000 minutes in the Brazilian Serie A, which helped him win awards for Best Young Player and Best Forward. In fact, he had the most goals and assists from a U18 player in a single season in Serie A, besting Neymar’s 16 from 2009. This has led many to believe he’s the country’s next superstar to take over European football.

As is the case with previous Brazilian attacking talents who were thought of in such high regard, a key part of the hype around Estêvão is based on what he can do off the dribble. When looking at the tape going back to his time in the Brazilian Serie A, he was able to receive cleanly and size up his marker for a 1v1 without losing stride. The ball just seems to stick to his feet even when he gets to full speed. This is very helpful when trying to progress play from deeper areas, or unsettling low blocks.

At such a young age, he already can use the movement of defenders against them to gain an advantage, which is something you see from the best off the dribble threats in the sport. While his first step might not be very overpowering, those tricks of the trade can help him attack fullbacks constantly. It is no surprise he ranked very highly in dribble and carry based metrics during his time with Palmeiras, like Dribble & Carry On-Ball Value for example. In addition, only Wesley from Internacional had more shot creating actions from take-ons than Estêvão from the 2024 Brazil Serie A season, according to FBref.   

What Estêvão can do as a dribbler and solo progressor blends into his playmaking. Wingers who can beat their opponent to get into the box can already bring a ton of value through square passes or cut-backs. He wasn’t fazed even when situated in super tight areas of the right wide zone. The key pass and assist map from open play during the 2024 season showed just how much mileage he got from being able to spam those intrabox passes from the right side. Moving forward, how much he can add to his passing repertoire will be key for how strong of an open play playmaker he becomes in English football.

For someone so young, Estêvão has shown flashes of quality off-ball play, with those moments occurring during different game situations. What’s been interesting so far this season is the constant interchanging of positions between himself and Malo Gusto when trying to destabilize settled defensive blocks. As part of Chelsea’s burgeoning 3-1-3-3 setup, he’s been comfortable operating in the right halfspace with Cole Palmer out of the lineup. 

The blowout victory vs West Ham was illustrative because you saw a lot of his off-ball quality at work. For one, Estêvão was constantly looking to find space by passing to a nearby teammate and then quickly searching for space forward. If that wasn’t available, he’d look to drag his marker and open up space for others. This led to overloading the interior in search of quick combinations. And this, in turn, could lead to third man runs through the middle while Liam Delap was engaging with the backline. When Chelsea were able to get into the box on the left side and he was on the flank, Estêvão would try to crash the box.

Out of possession was more of a mixed bag. Given his slight build and lack of thrust, it makes him less impactful when trying to lead the press. His match versus Fulham also showed his flaws defensively. 

Estêvão’s assist for Enzo Fernández’s goal vs West Ham was a solid illustration of how potent his game can be when the off-ball and on-ball skills combine. After dragging his marker while recycling possession, he’s able to make a run and collect Delap’s lay-off, before utilizing his quick reflexes to bypass to get into the box. From there, he turns on the burners to get an angle before the square pass towards Fernández for a tap-in.

The building blocks with Estêvão are certainly tantalizing. A winger who can operate both out wide and in the interior can be very helpful for greasing the wheels of a team’s attack, especially versus stingy defenses. Combine this with varied off-ball movement, and you get a jitterbug attacker who can contribute in different areas. Of course, we’re only working from a sample size of less than 300 minutes in the PL, so there’s only so much that can be inferred from such a small sample (his xG/shot won’t be above 30% the rest of the season). However, a lot of what’s been described was also on display in the Brazilian Serie A and the Club World Cup. 

How Estêvão develops will be crucial for Chelsea’s ceiling in attack this season. In possession, the first half of 24-25 saw them rely heavily on fast attacks to consistently generate good looks at goal. In an attempt to bring stability, the rest of the season was dominated by an attempt from Enzo Maresca to implement positional play. This was with a view to have a more sustainable form of chance creation, while shoring up their rest defense. Injuries to key players like Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke made the transition even harder by the stretch run of the season. The defensive numbers did show improvement during this period, which helped mitigate the crash in attacking output to some extent.

When looking at Chelsea’s in-possession framework under Maresca, both in the present and moving forward, there might be a parallel with Luis Enrique and Paris Saint-Germain. PSG’s attack was rather stodgy in 2023-24, relying a ton on individual brilliance to get by in crucial matches. They did not come off as a side where the whole was better than the sum of its parts. Last season was a much different story. With another season in the fold and a more balanced squad, Enrique was able to create one of the most fluid attacks in Europe, full of positional rotations. Their demolition of Inter in the Champions League final to seal a treble was one of the most dominant performances in the history of the competition. This is what Chelsea are aspiring to reach in Maresca’s second season.

For Chelsea’s attack to reach such a vaunted level, they’ll need versatile players who can contribute both on and off the ball during different phases of play. The club is hopeful for Estêvão to be a top-tier player, and soon. It’s a lot to ask for someone who’s in their age 18 season in the most talented and physically demanding league in the world. The very early returns have been quite promising, but they’ll likely be a cold stretch in form as opponents get a better handle on his strengths and weaknesses. As such, it’s not hard to see why Estêvão is one of the biggest x-factors of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

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