Why This Summer Signing Could Be The Biggest Upgrade In Premier League History

Why This Summer Signing Could Be The Biggest Upgrade In Premier League History

The Premier League summer transfer window of 2025 cemented itself as one of the most memorable in modern times. We saw absolutely everything you could want from a top window; drama, record signings and a whole host of young talent making moves over to the top leagues to prove themselves in the spotlight.

Amongst these deals was the long awaited European move from Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian Almeida de Oliveira Goncalves, or, to give him the name you'll know him by, Estevao.

There was another nickname he went by back in his native Brazil; however, that puts into perspective just how much faith the nation has in his talents: 'Messinho'. It was this nickname and expectation that helped former club Palmeiras agree to a roughly £57.5m fee with Chelsea before he had even turned 18.

This Estevao run. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/IsjJyjw1NT

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 2, 2025

The deal for Estevao was technically agreed in the 2024 window; however, due to British law regarding the transfer of non-British players under the age of 18, his move to the West London side could not go through immediately.

But having turned 18 this summer, the wonderkid has made his move and has started to show sparks of something the 'Pride of London' haven't seen since the likes of Eden Hazard.

Record Breaker:

Upon signing for such a massive fee, people harbour, and will do for some time, major expectations for what is produced by the Brazilian, and he will likely face huge scrutiny for the rest of his career.

Fortunately for him, he's helped alleviate some of the weight on his shoulders by already smashing a host of major records for his new club:

• Youngest player to assist a goal for Chelsea in the Premier League
• Youngest player to score the match winner in the Premier League whilst representing Brazil
• Youngest player to score for Chelsea in the Champions League
• Youngest player to score in consecutive Champions League games as a South American under 18

When you consider that he only turned 18 in the summer, this is already an incredibly impressive return - he's done all this, and we're only in November!

Brazilian Flair and Incredible Football IQ:

One of the major excitements that both Chelsea and Premier League fans have had over the winger is simply the idea that he's the first player in a while to 'get bums off of seats', for lack of better phrasing.

His style of play is highly mature for his age; he has a rare blend of capacity to play directly with progressive instincts and technical consistency that we would often associate with a seasoned winger. It's easy to draw the comparison with Eden Hazard, but it feels apt. A technically capable, direct and supremely intelligent winger.

Take his recent performance against Wolves as an example of this. He only played for 26 minutes as a substitute but, despite not recording a goal or assist, left the match with a 7.3 SofaScore rating purely because of the influence he had on the game through creativity and technique.

In the 26 minutes played, Estevao produced 2 key passes, 1 big chance created and 0.45 expected assists. This illustrates his ability to be a key influence on games even when he doesn't score or assist, which is a key trait in those elite-level players. He did in fact set up countryman Joao Pedro for Chelsea's second, but thanks to a touch from a Wolves boot, he was not given the assist.

Additionally, the winger plays with that trademark flair you think of when you imagine all the Brazilian greats. Think Ronaldinho or R9 or Neymar. It is a historical stereotype in football, but the Chelsea man has it; he plays with an unmatched confidence and makes the game look fun, one of the major critiques fans have had for the state of football in recent years.

Estêvão vs Wolves

Instant impact. pic.twitter.com/9RshGkARDT

— SB (@ShowBoat00) November 8, 2025

Impact At His New Club and Comparison To Former Players:

So far across all competitions at Chelsea, including international games, Estevao has produced 9 G/A. Specifically, he has provided 7 goals and 2 assists, with notable involvements against Liverpool and Chile.

It's important to bear in mind that this has all been done by mid-November. When you compare him to how other Chelsea big-money winger signings were getting on at a similar stage in their first season, you can really see why Estevao looks to be such a significant upgrade for 'The Blues'.

This Estevao run. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/IsjJyjw1NT

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 2, 2025

VS Noni Madueke:

Noni Madueke arrived at Chelsea from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in the 2023 January transfer window for a roughly £30.3m fee.

By the end of his first half-season in West London, the England national had only recorded 4 G/A, 3 of which came in the same game for the England U21 side.

He put in some good performances, including against London rivals Arsenal, scoring against them, and an impressive showing in an end-of-season draw at home to Newcastle.

Noni went on to put up much better numbers in following seasons before he left last summer for the side he scored his maiden Premier League goal against, Arsenal, but it is clear to see he had nowhere near the impact that Estevao has so far had for Chelsea.

VS Mykhaylo Mudryk:

Similarly to Madueke, Mudryk also arrived at Stamford Bridge as a winter signing in January 2023 but for a significantly higher fee following Chelsea's battle with Arsenal for the Ukrainian's signature.

In his first half season for his new side, the winger was only able to produce 2 assists across all competitions; both happened to come in the Premier League, but considering his reported roughly £70m fee, he did not produce anywhere near what the Chelsea faithful were expecting.

The Ukrainian international is currently serving a ban for a doping violation (https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/13275335/mykhailo-mudryk-chelsea-confirm-fa-has-contacted-forward-over-adverse-urine-sample) which he was handed in December of 2024, far from where any Blues fan expected him to be three years ago.

Everyone just forgot about Mudryk just like that💔 pic.twitter.com/RZhuNScQeK

— OB (@CFC_OBED) November 11, 2025

Conclusion:

The Brazilian international has already shown himself to be a major talent on all levels. He has performed on the Premier League stage, the European stage and the international stage with very few signs that he is anywhere near his ceiling.

We cannot categorically say what will happen with the potential career of the winger despite him having shown himself to be operating at an elite level. I mean, does anyone remember what happened to Alexandre Pato and Bojan?

Either way, there is clearly a huge potential in the young Brazilian, and he's already delivering. We can't get carried away just yet, but he's showing every promise of being potentially the biggest upgrade in Premier League history.