Chelsea’s new signing Estevao Willian in tears after getting injured for Palmeiras

Chelsea football club have endured a tough time since winning the Champions League in the 2020-21 season after which the West London side has been a bare shadow of its own. Now under the management of Enzo Maresca, the club hasn’t started well in the 2024-25 pre-season as they slumped to a defeat against 4-1 defeat having also drawn against Wrexham. Another piece of poor news for the club came on Monday (July 29) after new signing Estevao Willian was injured in the Brazilian Serie A.

Willian in tears

During the Serie A contest against Vitoria, where Willian was representing Palmeiras, the player suffered an injury that forced him to withdraw. The player was seen in tears while getting off the field indicating it to be a more serious injury than first feared. The Brazilian, still 17, is rated high by the Chelsea camp which signed him in the summer before loaning him out back to the club until he turns 18 next year.

Earlier this summer, the Blues reached an agreement to sign the 17-year-old from Brazilian side Palmeiras, paying £28.7m upfront plus a further £19.4m in add-ons to make him one of seven signings they’ve made under the tenure of new manager Maresca.

While he is considered the future of the club, the West Londoners are in no mood to take any risks on their prize asset in Brazil. It is reported that the Chelsea staff are keeping a close eye on the player and could even ask him to come to London for further treatment if necessary.

Under the new management, the Premier League side has invested heavily and has already brought in Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, Renato Veiga and Caleb Wiley with both Boca Juniors full-back Aaron Anselmino and Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen on the verge of completing their deals to join the club.

It is also worth noting that he recently recovered from an ankle sprain that he suffered and had to miss the last two league matches through injury.

Chelsea to face Man City

For now, the issue won’t hamper Chelsea’s progress in the pre-season before they look to show their mark in the Premier League later in August. The club will open their Premier League season against champions Manchester City with a reunion on the cards for Maresca and Pep Guardiola, having worked together in the past. The duo, however, will be in the opposite dugout when the latest Premier League season kicks off on August 18.

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