The transfer policy works! Chelsea already have more Estevaos in the pipeline

Tom Weber

• 26 Nov 2025 13:01 CST
• 4 min read

News

Estevao is the name on everyone's lips right now, but Chelsea already have more generational talents in the pipeline.

The Brazilian wonderkid has been in outstanding form since joining the Blues in the summer in a €45 million deal that can rise to north of €65m if all bonuses, including winning the Ballon d'Or, are triggered.

While it is certainly too early to call Estevao a Ballon d'Or challenger, it seems inevitable that Chelsea will have to pay his former club Palmeiras a bit more money. The Stamford Bridge won't mind, though, because Estevao is already exceeding expectations.

Surprisingly, the 18-year-old has not at all struggled to adapt to life in England, and the highlight of his nascent career came on Tuesday when he scored a Champions League wonder goal against Barcelona.

Already a fan favourite, the teenager looks to be a generational talent and massive vindication of Chelsea's opinion-dividing transfer strategy under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

More Estevaos are on the way

Chelsea have made it their mission to snap up the best prospects in world football, and Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol believes that more Estevao-level talents are already on the way.

"Estevao is a player who is up there with the best young players to come out of South America," Solhekol said. "Real Madrid were looking at him, Barcelona were looking closely, as well as clubs like Arsenal.

"But it was Chelsea who got him for an initial £29m, and could stay at Palmeiras for an extra season. He's been developed really well by Enzo Maresca, who has been very careful with how much he has played.

"The reason he chose Chelsea, according to his agent, was they were the one club who said: 'In the future, we see him as a No.10 and he can play through the middle.' That's where he wants to play, where other clubs saw him as a development prospect or someone out wide.

"The good news for Chelsea fans is: there are more Estevaos on the way. Chelsea's recruitment policy is not to sign ready-made players for £200m - but to buy the best young players.

"There is Geo Quenda, who signed from Sporting CP for £44m and is joining in the summer of 2026. He had a release clause of £88m, so Chelsea got him for half his release clause. Some in Portugal say he's the next Cristiano Ronaldo - I'm not sure about that, a lot of young Portuguese players get compared to him.

"A couple of weeks ago, they agreed a deal to sign Deinner Ordonez, a young Ecuadorian centre-back who will join in 2028. They have other signings set for 2026 and 2027, that's their focus.

"That's why they have so many people working in their recruitment department. They get a lot of criticism for having so many sporting directors, but it seems to be working as they sign a lot of players like Estevao."

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