Chelsea have a 17-year-old “future Ballon d’Or winner”

Chelsea spent a total of around £220m in the 2024/25 summer transfer window, bringing 11 permanent new signings to the club, not including the loan signing of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, who will become a permanent transfer next summer.

The likes of Omari Kellyman, Mike Penders, Aaron Anselmino, Caleb Wiley and Marc Guiu were signings very much for the future, whilst the likes of Pedro Neto, João Félix, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Filip Jorgensen, Renato Veiga and Tosin Adarabioyo were intended for the first-team set up.

Many of these summer purchases have failed to stamp their mark on the team, with the likes of João Félix and Renato Veiga already leaving on loan in the January transfer window, just six months after joining in the summer.

However, there is one signing that has been something of a key figure and is really starting to prove his worth in recent weeks in the absence of Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke.

Pedro Neto’s new striker role

Chelsea signed Pedro Neto from Wolves in the summer, with the Portugal international joining the Blues for a fee of around £51.4m with £2.6m in add-ons.

The 25-year-old has made 32 appearances for Enzo Maresca’s side this season, scoring five goals, providing seven assists and totalling 1,865 minutes played.

In recent weeks, however, Maresca has been forced into making some significant changes to his side with some big injuries being suffered.

That has seen Neto move into a centre-forward position. The forward has taken to this role nicely, working hard from the front, making runs into the channels and popping up with goals and assists.

Against Leicester, Neto was all action yet again, having 54 touches, making 31/36 accurate passes, registering four key passes and winning four of his ten ground duels.

The 25-year-old is now in a run of promising run of form, but could be ousted for another signing Chelsea made in 2024.

Chelsea’s “future Ballon d’Or winner” could replace Neto

Another dazzling winger who signed in the summer, but will join the Blues next summer is Estevao, who joined Chelsea from Palmeiras for an initial fee of around £29m.

The Brazilian has made 12 appearances in the Campeonato Paulista in the 2024/25 season, scoring five goals and totalling 909 minutes played. It’s safe to say, at the age of just 17, he’s one of the finest young talents on the globe.

The teenager’s value has already risen since Chelsea purchased the teenage sensation, now being valued between £42m and £53m by CIES Football Observatory, meaning they have already struck gold by sealing his signature.

Estevao has already been labelled as a “future Ballon d’Or winner” by Ben Mattinson, with many Chelsea fans anticipating his arrival and contribution to the first team next season.

So, how does he compare with Neto? Well, he’s streets ahead.

When comparing Estevao’s underlying numbers to Neto’s this season, you can see the Brazilian comes out on top in all the metrics analysed, providing a higher output, having a higher shot volume and having the creative tendencies to contribute via carries and passing.

Maresca’s system will perfectly suit the quality Estevao offers in wide areas, dominating his 1v1 battles against the full-back (seen by his take-on numbers) and providing the moments of quality needed to unlock opposition defensive schemes.

Next season is bound to be an interesting one with the Brazilian joining the club, who will provide competition for Madueke, Neto and even Cole Palmer in the number ten position, as Estevao has previously stated his ambitions to play as a number ten in the past.

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