Tribal Football

Gilberto tells Chelsea: Estevao worth the money

Gilberto tells Chelsea: Estevao worth the money
Gilberto tells Chelsea: Estevao worth the money
Gilberto tells Chelsea: Estevao worth the moneyAction Plus
Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva believes Estevao Willian is worth a huge price tag.

The talented Palmeiras prospect is on the verge of moving to the Premier League, as Chelsea have negotiated a deal for the youngster.

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While some fans may be confused about clubs paying mega fees for teenagers with little first team experience, Silva disagrees.

As part of Bet365’s Copa America coverage, he stated: “Estevao Willian is worth the money. We have seen how much clubs have spent to acquire players in the Premier League and although Estevao is young, he has been playing for the Brazil youth teams and what he is doing at his age is very unique, it's special.

“If you look at the level of the young Brazilian players that have gone to Europe in recent years, the level of their game has made other players even more expensive. What’s more important than the price is how well they can adapt, which is difficult when you move to the Premier League. Having said that, everything I’ve seen about him says that he will be able to adapt and show a lot for Chelsea, I’m just sad that it won’t be at Arsenal.”

He did add a word of caution, saying: “The lack of stability at Chelsea could make things tricky for Estevao Willian, I just hope that for his sake they can find stability because for players it's so important to have that. I was honestly expecting Mauricio Pochettino to stay for another season, I was surprised. But they know what they’re doing. I just hope the changes don’t impact the players.”