Chelsea have endured a turbulent first season under Enzo Maresca and face a huge challenge to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
However, the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup gives the Blues the opportunity to get their hands on some silverware and make amends for a disappointing Premier League season.
The Stamford Bridge side have been dealt a blow even before the tournament gets underway, as they will be without Estevao Willian for the tournament, the player’s agent has confirmed.
Though the Blues announced the signing of Estevao Willian in June last year, he won’t move to the West London side until the summer of 2025.
Estevao, who cost €34m (£29.2m) plus €23m (£19.8m) in add-ons, cannot join Chelsea until his 18th birthday passes due to current rules. It had been suggested that Estevao could’ve featured for Chelsea at the Club World Cup, but that’s now been ruled out by his agent, Andre Cury.
“He’s arriving (at Chelsea in July) after the Club World Cup,” Cury told Spanish outlet AS about Estevao, who is currently still at Palmeiras.
“He’s a world-class player. Very good. A guy who’s going to make history here.”
Estevao Willian is a highly-rated teenager and is the most expensive Latin American player in history. Chelsea had to fight off stiff competition from several big clubs for his signature.
“With Estevão, I had interest from PSG, Bayern Munich, Chelsea… from several clubs. Negotiating today is very difficult due to the Fair Play issue,” Cury added.
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“Those who don’t have the money to invest want to do so to get immediate results. Imagine this: Chelsea signed Estevão a year ago; they’ve waited a year to be able to enjoy him now, in July. There’s no money to do this in Spain. They can’t wait.”
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