Chelsea risked becoming the laughingstock of the Premier League for a second year running, but they actually managed to pull off a semi-respectable sixth place finish.
While that’s still a way’s away from where Todd Boehly and the fans aim for Chelsea to be, it is a lot better than the actual mid-table.
Largely, that success can be attributed to the signing of Cole Palmer from Manchester City – a talented English prospect who legitimately became one of the best players in the entire league.
Palmer is a rare example of Chelsea getting it right on the transfer market under Boehly, as is young right back Malo Gusto from Lyon.
But for the most part, Chelsea have yet to maximize their biggest signings – such as Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in midfield – while they have made a host of puzzling veteran acquisitions.
This summer, Chelsea have already made one signing, and there’s optimism that, alongside Palmer, it could be their best one yet. And that is Palmeiras prospect Estevao Willian.
Though Estevao is less hyped than his teammate Endrick, that’s not to say he is lacking in hype either, because, well, what else is there to say about someone nicknamed “Messinho”?
Estevao Willian did not come cheap, as Chelsea will pay around 50 million pounds in total, making Messinho just the latest example of the Blues spending big bucks on an unproven talent.
But Messinho is right in line with the kind of player Chelsea should be taking a gamble on, as opposed to wasting their time on over-the-hill veterans like Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang and Raheem Sterling in 2022 or those without truly elite upside like Nicolas Jackson and Marc Cucurella.
Wanted by the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, Estevao is the kind of player those very elite powerhouse clubs of European football go for – a young Brazilian prospect with prodigious talent who can be one of the world’s best.
Chelsea fans are already dazzled by what Messinho can do for Palmeiras as a 17-year-old, and it is clear that he is a different class of player to what they have known.
So after so many times of getting it wrong, Chelsea have finally went for – and signed – a special teenage talent from Brazil who can define an era for them, beating the likes of Real Madrid and Barca to the punch.
