Brazilian forward Estevao has found himself on the fringes of Chelsea’s squad this season, recording only two starts across all competitions. This lack of involvement represents a stark contrast to his early months at Stamford Bridge, where he quickly made a name for himself by scoring a dramatic winner against the Premier League champions last October.
Twelve months later, the 19-year-old former Palmeiras player is struggling to force his way into Xabi Alonso’s plans. And Estevao is beginning to attract attention for all the wrong reasons as he struggles to force his way into Xabi Alonso’s side, fast forward 12 months.
His absence was particularly notable during Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup clash at Anfield, where Chelsea were eliminated following a penalty shootout loss to Liverpool. Although Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea an early lead, the team could not maintain the advantage after Cody Gakpo equalized for the hosts.
The current state of Estevao’s standing within the squad was laid bare during the second half of that match. As both sides chased a winner, Alonso opted to utilize his substitutes but did not call upon the Brazilian. The clearest indication of where he sits in the pecking order arrived midway through the second half, when the manager executed a triple substitution to revitalize his side. Though, was that as both teams pushed for a winner in the second half, Alonso never appeared to consider the forward, most concerning for Estevao.
Notably, the changes included introducing Emanuel Emegha, who was making his debut for the club following his summer transfer from Strasbourg. Shortly after that triple change, which brought Chelsea’s total usage of substitutes to five, Estevao was observed ending his warm-up routine and returning to the bench, marking another match without any action for the promising forward.
