Enzo Maresca finally says magic words about Estevao Willian that Chelsea fans were begging for

Chelsea fans are watching the rise of one of the next great Premier League icons, having already witnessed Cole Palmer become a Ballon d’Or caliber playmaker for them after previously being buried on the bench at Manchester City.

Young right winger Estevao Willian has been the best player at the position in the Premier League this season, and he has the dynamism and upside to become one of the best out and out wingers in terms of his one on one ability and ball striking for years to come. And he is wise beyond his years.

Despite being by far the best option on the wing for Chelsea, Estevao has been splitting time with Pedro Neto, who is a good player but is obviously nowhere near Estevao in terms of pure footballing quality – let alone future upside.

Chelsea fans have been a bit frustrated by this and Enzo Maresca waffling a bit on why he’s playing Neto, bringing up the notion that Neto is a better defender and therefore needs to be the starter.

Following the blowout win over Wolves, Maresca gave a much more nuanced and sensible explanation of what’s really going on, admitting that Estevao is, yes, a blockbuster player on the Cole Palmer plane:

“The reason why fans pay for tickets is they want to see players like Estevao and Cole (Palmer). People are happy when they are inside the pitch. The only difference is Estevao arrived from Brazil and needs time. Slowly, slowly, but for sure he is going to start games for us in the future.”

Now this is exactly what Chelsea fans wanted to hear from Maresca, because that is how they feel, too. They know Estevao is special and want to see him play every chance they get, but they also acknowledge that managing the youngster’s minutes is of paramount importance.

After all, we’ve all seen how Lamine Yamal is already getting worn down by injuries. Estevao is very much Chelsea’s Yamal, so Maresca protecting him is honestly wise.