"Incredible talent" Estevao poses "problems" for Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, says pundit | OneFootball

"Incredible talent" Estevao poses "problems" for Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, says pundit | OneFootball

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·19 September 2026

"Incredible talent" Estevao poses "problems" for Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, says pundit

Article image:"Incredible talent" Estevao poses "problems" for Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, says pundit

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso could have a problem as Estevao Willian continues to find himself on the bench for the Blues.


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That’s according to former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp, who believes Estevao is an “incredible talent” who surely deserves more playing time.

Estevao joined Chelsea last season and made a good first impression before his form faded slightly as the season went on.

Still, the Brazilian winger is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in world football, and he’d surely have expected to be playing regularly for Chelsea by now.

Even if he’s still only 19, Estevao has shown he has a lot of quality, and Redknapp has questioned if Alonso can’t find room for him, even if there’s a lot of competition from other big names like Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.

Jamie Redknapp on Chelsea’s Estevao Willian problem

I look at Estevao, is he too good a player not to play in this team?” Redknapp said, as quoted by the Metro.

Article image:"Incredible talent" Estevao poses "problems" for Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, says pundit

(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

“He is in an incredible talent but how do you get him in the team when you have got Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro? These are the problems he has to solve.”

This certainly points to some issues at Chelsea, with their squad planning looking a little chaotic in recent years.

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Despite a clear shortage of depth in midfield and defence, Chelsea arguably have too many attacking players to fit in, hence the uncomfortable situation of an elite talent like Estevao struggling for playing time.

Alonso did an impressive job during his time as Bayer Leverkusen manager, but he’s inherited a challenging situation at Chelsea and the early signs aren’t good for him.

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