There’s rising concern around 19-year-old Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian at Chelsea. The young winger is being urged to consider a loan move away from the London club due to a catastrophic lack of playing time under Xabi Alonso. In his debut season, the Brazilian showed promising signs, netting eight goals in 36 appearances across all competitions, but he hasn't started a single match in the current Premier League season and spent Saturday’s victory over Everton on the bench.
Former Chelsea winger Scott Sinclair believes that regular game time is essential for the South American’s professional development:
Only Estevao can decide what’s best for him, but given his youth, getting consistent playing time is crucial.
Former fan favourite at the club, Pat Nevin, echoes this sentiment, emphasising that players of such talent cannot afford to waste their best years on the sidelines:
I wouldn't be surprised. It doesn’t literally sound like: ‘you must leave, go right now’. But your career lasts only so long, and you need a solid record of matches played. By the time you reach 20 or 21, you should have a couple of hundred games under your belt.
Even Xabi Alonso is trying to publicly ease the mounting pressure and whispers of discontent within the dressing room, insisting that the young player will get his moments and more minutes on the pitch. However, pundits agree that if the situation doesn’t change dramatically, a winter loan could be the only sensible move to salvage the career of one of the brightest talents of the modern game.
