Estevao Willian agreement reached with Chelsea problem under Xabi Alonso crystal clear

Estevao Willian's future at Chelsea continues to be a hot topic with the Brazil international struggling to get Premier League minutes under Xabi Alonso at the time of writing

Reports earlier this month from Brazil claimed that Estevao Willian was growing frustrated with the lack of first-team minutes under his belt so far this season.

While it is still extremely early days in the 2026/27 campaign, the 19-year-old winger is yet to start a Premier League fixture under new manager Xabi Alonso. Not including stoppage time, Estevao has accumulated just 20 minutes across three top-flight appearances this term.

Alonso played down the teenager being unhappy in a recent press conference and insisted he still has a big role to play for Chelsea this season. That could prove to be true, of course, but the conversation around Estevao's lack of minutes has not disappeared just yet.

FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE! Latest Blues news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

So, with that being said, football.london 's Bobby Vincent and Jake Stokes discuss and debate what they think should happen with Estevao. And our two writers reached an agreement regarding the Brazilian.

Bobby Vincent

This is a really tough one.

Of course Chelsea should keep Estevao. Who wouldn't want one of the world's most talented teenagers playing for their club? That is a no-brainer.

However, this season, with no European football, minutes for the fringe players are going to be more difficult to come by. Unfortunately for Estevao, he is a player on the fringes of the first team at the moment because of that front trio.

Cole Palmer seemingly has the right-wing spot locked down at the time of writing. It's a long season, as mentioned, and injuries will play a factor, but breaking into Palmer x Morgan Rogers x Joao Pedro will be difficult.

If the rumours that Estevao is unhappy are true, it's not a surprise. He knows how good he is and he deserves to be playing first-team football at the top level. The circumstances are unfortunate, though, because Palmer, Rogers and Joao Pedro are, at the time of writing, undroppable.

There is the option to play him as a wing-back but Alonso didn't seem too keen on that idea when it was put to him at a recent press conference. Alonso believes Estevao's best position is as a winger, an inside forward, and one who doesn't have too much defensive responsibility.

Chelsea should fight hard to keep him. I'm sure they will. But they might well need to convince him he remains an integral part of the long-term vision at Stamford Bridge.

As frustrating as it is right now, patience might well pay off for Estevao.

Jake Stokes

Alonso should make an effort to ensure Estevao gets more minutes on the pitch, but he shouldn't feel obliged to bin off the meritocratic culture at Chelsea. There's no doubt that the 19-year-old winger has the quality to be one of the first names on the teamsheet, and possibly force the Blues manager to change system, but first, he must prove that he can be consistently relied upon at the very highest level.

Last season, Estevao proved he can lock horns with the best in the world, putting on excellent performances in landmark wins over the likes of Ajax and Barcelona in the Champions League, as well as Liverpool in the Premier League. Equally, though, the Brazil international wasn't always fit, nursing a couple of minor knocks before suffering a more serious hamstring problem in April.

Despite his great quality, he wasn't always available, which in the era of 40, 50, sometimes 60-game seasons, is paramount. Of course, Estevao will only adjust to the physical demands by gradually playing more and more, so he needs to be carefully managed.

He and Alonso just need to be patient. There are plenty of games still to be played this term. The Brazilian's time will come, so long as he performs at the same level he showed against Arsenal in the Premier League and not the level he showed against Leeds United in the Carabao Cup.

Click here to read article