Chelsea’s incoming Brazilian star Estêvão Willian revealed the words of encouragement Cole Palmer offered him following his impressive appearance for Palmeiras against his future employers in the Club World Cup.
Estêvão navigated a potentially awkward quarterfinal clash perfectly. The teenage forward scored a goal in a standout display yet avoided the ignominy of knocking Chelsea out of the competition.
Palmer was part of a group of Chelsea players who circled around their imminent teammate at the final whistle. The Mancunian joked that Estêvão hadn’t understood a word he said. He was right.
“I had to ask [Dário] Essugo what Cole had said to me,” the Brazilian revealed after bowing out of the competition. “He laughed a bit before translating, telling me, ‘Cole said he’s excited for you and wants you to come with us after the game’.”
After the jovial greetings with the Chelsea contingent, which he will officially become part of following the club’s conclusion in the Club World Cup, Estêvão shifted his focus back to Palmeiras. “I wanted to stay some more time with my team pals,” he explained. “I came here with them. And I should go back to Brazil with them. My heart is broken because only we know how hard we worked.
“But I leave with pride. And I am happy to have a giant club as Chelsea opening its doors to me. I just wanted to show my new fans in England who I am. That it is all. I hope to learn. I am sure I come to London to evolve, and to make history there too.”
Enzo Maresca is certainly looking forward to counting upon the left-footed weaver. “Fantastic”, “huge talent”, “very, very good” was the Italian manager’s glowing assessment of his summer recruit.
Despite his impressive audition, Estêvão still faces an uphill battle given the absurd strength-in-depth boasted by the free-spending Blues.
Palmer is just one of the many figures fiercely competing for a spot in the line of three behind Chelsea’s centre-forward. Fellow fresh arrivals Jamie Gittens and João Pedro will also be battling for game time alongside existing stars such as Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke.
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘He Laughed’—Estevao Reveals Cole Palmer’s Chelsea Message.
