Estêvão has played just 204 Premier League minutes for Chelsea this season, but Carlo Ancelotti isn’t too bothered. As far as the Brazil manager is concerned, the youngster still has plenty to offer.

Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Sunderland was another example of the situation. Xabi Alonso only brought Estêvão on at half-time, and the 19-year-old is now heading off on international duty without having secured a regular place in the team.

Fortunately for him, Ancelotti sees things differently. And he’s made it pretty clear that Chelsea’s reluctance to use the Brazilian won’t necessarily become his problem.

Ancelotti has different plans for Estêvão

Brazilian outlet UOL has looked at how several players are struggling for minutes or form at club level but continue to enjoy Ancelotti’s trust. Estêvão is one of the clearest examples.

He’s yet to score or provide an assist for Chelsea this season, although that doesn’t tell the whole story. Against Manchester United, for instance, he was arguably their best attacker and had two goals ruled out.

The problem is getting onto the pitch in the first place. Alonso’s system hasn’t done him many favours. With three central defenders and wing-backs, Pedro Neto has become the preferred option.

Estêvão would like to play more centrally, but there’s Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers to deal with there. Hardly an easy route into the starting eleven, either.

Ancelotti, though, isn’t going to let all that dictate his own selections. Speaking about players who aren’t getting enough football at their clubs, the Italian admitted the situation wasn’t ideal.

“It would be better if they were getting minutes, not so much because of their current form, but for their development. But we can say they’re arriving fresh, rested. They can put in a good performance for the national team.”

And when asked specifically about the Chelsea youngster, he went a step further.

“What we expect from Estêvão is for him to show the qualities he has. We’ll keep following him. Even if he doesn’t play a single minute at Chelsea, we’ll keep following him until we decide he’s no longer useful to the national team.”

“As long as we think he’s useful, we’ll keep following him and giving him opportunities to develop as a 19-year-old. We have different objectives to Chelsea.”

Chelsea situation hasn’t improved much

Ancelotti isn’t having a go at Alonso, but he’s openly saying that what works for Chelsea doesn’t have to work for Brazil. And Estêvão has certainly given him reasons to think that way.

The youngster has scored five goals under Ancelotti and remains an important part of his plans. In fact, his only goal of this season came for Brazil, against India.

Back at Chelsea, things are rather less encouraging. In September, we covered that Estêvão was already concerned about his opportunities under Alonso. He wanted to stay, but a possible rethink in January was mentioned if he continued to struggle for minutes.

Well, we’re now in November, and the situation hasn’t changed a great deal. He has had some encouraging moments, but 204 Premier League minutes tell their own story.

Brazil now face Japan and Singapore, giving Estêvão another chance to enjoy the sort of responsibility he’s struggling to find in London.

ESTÊVÃO Senior club career · All competitions

Club	Years	Appearances	Goals
Palmeiras	2023–2025	83	27
Chelsea	2025–present	46	8
CAREER TOTAL		129	35

CHELSEA · SEASON COMPARISON

All competitions	2025/26	2026/27*
Appearances	36	10
Starts	20	3
Minutes played	1,678	304
Goals	8	0
Assists	3	0
Minutes per goal	209.8	—
Minutes per goal contribution	152.5	—

Senior competitive first-team matches only. Excludes youth, international and friendly appearances. *2026/27 season ongoing. Season comparison follows BeSoccer’s competition breakdown; minutes can vary slightly between providers. Goal contributions = goals + assists. A dash indicates no goals or assists recorded.
Updated: 10 November 2026.

SPORT WITNESS