Chelsea are expected to sign another player from Strasbourg after Valentin Barco and Emmanuel Emegha completed their moves this summer. Gessime Yassine has impressed for the Blues’ sister club this season and is now being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

Yassine has scored two goals and provided two assists in seven Ligue 1 games in 2026/27, including a match-winning brace against Lens in August. The 20-year-old would also fit Chelsea’s model of signing high-potential young players with sell-on value.

According to TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey, the West London club are prepared to sign Yassine “in the near future”, suggesting the transfer could happen next summer. The Moroccan international is “comfortable knowing his future lies at Chelsea”, despite interest from Brighton, Newcastle, Sunderland, Brentford, Everton and Nottingham Forest.

While it would obviously be a fantastic move for the Strasbourg star, it would make little sense for Chelsea. Estevao Willian would likely be among several players concerned by Yassine’s arrival.

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Why Gessime Yassine’s potential Chelsea move could worry Estevao Willian

Gessime Yassine is undoubtedly a quality player; he would not play for Strasbourg and Morocco otherwise. However, he has not proven that he has what it takes to make the significant leap from the Ligue 1 club to Chelsea, who hope to challenge for the Premier League title under Xabi Alonso.

But the biggest reason signing Yassine would be a mistake is that Chelsea already have an abundance of players in his position. Yassine is a left-footed right-winger who likes to cut inside onto his stronger foot and create havoc in the final third. The Blues already have three similar players: Cole Palmer, Estevao and Geovany Quenda.

While Palmer is more of a playmaker who often plays as a number 10, and Quenda is more of an out-and-out winger with his extreme pace, Yassine has a very similar profile to Estevao. Both players have a low centre of gravity and use their quick feet and flair to dribble past defenders and shoot with their left feet.

If Estevao had a regular starting role at Chelsea, signing Yassine as his understudy would make sense. However, Estevao is reportedly growing frustrated at Stamford Bridge due to his lack of game time. He has played just 154 minutes in all competitions in the 2026/27 season.

The Brazilian wonderkid’s problem is that he is behind Palmer as the right-sided number 10 in Alonso’s 3-4-3 system. Meanwhile, he is not as tactically and defensively adept as Pedro Neto in the hybrid right-winger/wing-back role. He has also rarely been brought on late in games, suggesting he is not in Alonso’s immediate plans.

With Quenda also struggling for game time for similar reasons, but more likely to play in Neto’s role, signing Yassine too would be foolish. If the Moroccan were to join Chelsea, Estevao would have even more reason to question his future at the club.

Although that may not seem like the end of the world, particularly given the success Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro are enjoying, Estevao remains a world-class talent despite his lack of goal contributions this season. Chelsea would almost certainly be left with egg on their faces if they allowed Estevao to leave and fulfil his world-class potential elsewhere.