One of the Premier League powerhouses, , have been investing in youth more than they ever have before in recent years. It’s a change to their usual transfer window tricks, which have typically consisted of forking out huge sums of money on the likes of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez - both of whom cost north of £100 million. Most recently, according to , the west London-based outfit have for an up front fee of £28.
7 million (€34m, $36.5m) - one that could rise to £48.1 million with performance-based measures, while .
Brazilian youngster Estevao Willian, nicknamed 'Messinho', has been attracting interest from a whole host of European clubs. Brazil producing world-beating stars has become a recurring theme in recent times - with the likes of contending for the Ballon d’Or at the age of 23 and Endrick securing a career-defining move to Real Madrid at the tender age of 17. The Blues are under the impression that investing both time and money in the hotbed of young talent on offer is now the way forward and the signing of Estevao is a signal of their intent moving forwards: signing the next generation of superstars rather than focusing on the here and now.
The acquisition of the fleet-footed Brazilian, 17, now means that Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly, since their £4.25 billion takeover in May 2022, have spent in excess of £150 million on teenagers - a promise they made upon replacing Roman Abramovich. Chelsea sealing a deal for Estevao - nicknamed ‘Messinho’ .
