Former Chelsea winger Willian believes new signing Estêvão could be as good as Lamine Yamal and can help the club win titles again for years to come.
Speaking to ESPN Brasil, Willian — who played 10 times for London club Fulham in the Premier League last season but is a free agent this summer — talked up his compatriot.
“Without a doubt, he has a lot of potential, a lot of quality,” Willian said. “The player has the advantage of still being so young, but with great potential like Lamine Yamal, they have a similar style.
“I hope that he can be very successful here in England playing for Chelsea, he can win many titles, score a lot of goals with the Chelsea jersey and he will help to win titles over the years.”
Chelsea announced the signing of the 18-year old from Palmeiras last summer for an initial fee worth €34 million ($37m) with performance-related add-ons potentially taking the figure to around €67m, as reported by British media.
Estêvão will officially join Chelsea after the Club World Cup with 13 goals and 12 assists under his belt in 43 appearances in Brazil’s Serie A along with four senior Brazil caps.
“My advice is that he dedicate himself to the fullest,” Willian, who made 234 league appearances for Chelsea, added. “In England, football is quite different to what he is used to. When he gets here I think he needs some extra work at the club.
“I’m sure he has a very good head. There’s no need to argue about his quality, he has more than enough quality to play for a big club like Chelsea. But I hope he can adapt as quickly as possible and get into the style of play here to be very successful.”
Palmeiras and Estêvão kick off their Club World Cup campaign against FC Porto on June 15 while Chelsea will play León on June 16.
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