This season feels like a hugely important one for Chelsea.
Enzo Maresca did an excellent job winning the Conference League and securing Champions League football last year, but his side need to take another step forward over the next ten months.
At the very least, the Blues should be looking to win another trophy and stay in the Premier League title race for longer than they did in 24/25.
Fortunately, the team is stronger today and has an array of incredibly talented youngsters coming through, including one who could rival Lamine Yamal in the not-too-distant future.
Chelsea's hotbed of young talents
Their transfer strategy has come in for plenty of criticism over the last few years, but Chelsea now have an abundance of incredible young talent in their squad.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
For example, just this summer, Maresca has been handed one of the most promising defenders in Europe, Jorrel Hato.
The Dutchman is still just 19 years old but made an astounding 111 senior appearances for Ajax before his move last month.
Appearances
111
Starts
102
Minutes
9121′
Goals
4
Assists
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.11
Minutes per Goal Involvement
701.61′
Points per Game
1.86
Moreover, he captained the Amsterdam outfit on several occasions and has even won six senior caps for the Netherlands national team.
Likewise, despite turning 21 just last month, Jamie Gittens had already made 107 appearances for Borussia Dortmund before his move to Stamford Bridge.
In those games, the “explosive” Reading-born winger, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, was able to score 16 goals and provide 13 assists, and was described as “England’s best left winger in 2024/25” by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley.
Last but by no means least, the West Londoners also got their hands on Alejandro Garnacho.
The former Manchester United ace might be something of a controversial player, but his talent is undeniable, and even though he played in a historically poor Red Devils side last season, he was still able to rack up 21 goal involvements.
Yet, while all three of these youngsters could be superstars for Chelsea, there is another prospect on the club’s books who feels like he could rival Yamal for the Ballon d’Or in the future.
Chelsea's Yamal rival
It’s hardly a controversial opinion to consider Yamal as already being one of the very best players in world football.
After all, the young Spaniard has won the European Championships with his country and La Liga titles with Barcelona, all before even turning 18.
So, if Chelsea have a player who could one day rival him for the very top honours, the youngster in question has to be something really quite special.
Fortunately, from what we have seen so far, and his performances back in Brazil, Estevao looks like the real deal.
The Blues signed the incredibly gifted 18-year-old from Palmeiras in the summer of 2024, but due to his age, he had to wait another year to officially join up with Maresca’s squad.
That extra year in his homeland might have been good for the Franca-born gem, as in just a few appearances for the Blues, he is already looking like the “future Ballon d’Or winner” that respected analyst Ben Mattinson claimed him to be.
For example, he came off the bench and added some much-needed dynamism to proceedings against Crystal Palace, and then when he was tasked with starting again against West Ham United in place of Cole Palmer, he was near unstoppable.
The Hammers seemingly had no way of stopping him, leading to panic every time he decided to take a defender on, which is also how he registered his first official assist for the club.
The dynamic winger is also now a regular face in Brazil squads and scored his first international goal in just his second start against Chile during this international break.
Ultimately, it might take him a season or two to really get up to speed, but Estevao looks like the potentially world-class talent so many expected him to be, and therefore, he could soon be challenging the likes of Yamal for future Ballon d’Ors.