Estêvão growing wary of his role at Chelsea under Xabi Alonso

Seven minutes against Fulham, a start in the League Cup and not a single second on the field against Brighton. That is, so far, the summary of Estêvão's season at Chelsea, and it's not exactly what the Brazilian had in mind when he arrived at Stamford Bridge tagged as a rising star. The concern has already set in: according to people close to him, the player himself believes he won't get much playing time under Xabi Alonso.

The Spanish coach, who joined Chelsea after a brief and difficult spell at Real Madrid, is still building his idea of a team. He has overseen just three matches so far: two in the Premier League and one in the League Cup, the competition English clubs typically use to rotate their squads and give minutes to players further down the pecking order. It was precisely in that cup match where Estêvão did start. The pattern says a lot: when it's a "throwaway" fixture, the Brazilian gets in; when it's a serious Premier League game, he's left out or comes on late.

A problem of position, not just minutes

What weighs on Estêvão most isn't just the lack of continuity, but where Xabi Alonso's system places him. The Brazilian feels most comfortable playing close to the box, in a kind of second striker or attacking midfield role, a spot currently occupied by Cole Palmer, the team's number 10, and Morgan Rogers, Chelsea's most expensive signing of this transfer window. The competition there is direct and fierce.

The other option would be playing wide on the right, the position held by Pedro Neto in Xabi Alonso's system. But that option doesn't excite Estêvão: he understands that to play there he would need to add muscle mass, something that could cost him mobility and, in turn, end up undermining exactly what makes him different as a player.

None of this means the Brazilian wants to leave right away. Quite the opposite: he has made clear to those around him that he likes the club and that his first choice is to stay. But he has also signaled that if the first half of the season keeps being a struggle in terms of playing time, he could reconsider his stance ahead of the European winter transfer window, which opens in January.

The financial backdrop adds pressure to the situation. Chelsea paid 61.5 million euros (about 358 million reais at the time) to sign him from Palmeiras, in one of the biggest deals in recent Brazilian transfer history. Since arriving, Estêvão has made 38 appearances in Chelsea blue, with eight goals and three assists to his name. Numbers that show a player with real impact when he plays, but which now depend on Xabi Alonso finding him a fixed spot in the team.