Estevao Willian snubs Chelsea offer and reveals what Cole Palmer told him after netting against the Blues in Club World Cup quarter-final

Daily Mail​

3 hours ago

Incoming Chelsea wonderkid Estevao Willian turned down an offer to continue his Club World Cup journey with his new club after his current side were dumped out of the competition by his future one.
The 18-year-old, who netted for Palmeiras in their 2-1 last-eight defeat, will complete his move to the Blues later this month.
The meeting of the two sides put the teenager in a unique win-win situation, a reality quickly manifested in the offer from Cole Palmer to link up with the Blues squad as they made their way to New York for their semi-final clash against Fluminense.
But after enlisting the help of fellow new recruit Dario Essugo, whose linguistic skills deciphered the Mancunian accent Palmer's English invitation was delivered in, Estevao declined and insisted that he needed to say a proper goodbye to his soon-to-be former colleagues.
'I had to ask Essugo what Cole had said to me,' said Estevao. 'He laughed a bit before translating, telling me "Cole said he's excited for you and want you to come with us after the game".'
'I wanted to stay some more time with my team pals,' he added. 'I came here with them. And I should go back to Brazil with them. My heart is broken because only we know how hard we worked.
'But I leave with pride. And I am happy to have a giant club as Chelsea opening its doors to me.
'I just wanted to show my new fans in England who I am. That it is all. I hope to learn. I am sure I come to London to evolve, and to make history there too.'
After Saturday's match, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca spoke glowingly of the winger, teasing an 'important' role for him.
'You can see he is a huge talent,' Maresca said post-match. 'You can see he is a fantastic player. The only thing now is when you come from South America or another part of the world to Europe you need to adapt.
'We are going to help him to adapt and first of all to enjoy football. We don't have any doubt, as he is so good, that he is going to be an important player for Chelsea.'
Palmer made a point of embracing Estevao and swapping shirts with him after the final whistle, despite the language barrier.
'I told Estevao we are excited for you to join but he didn't understand a single word I said,' Palmer said.
Chelsea struck a deal to sign the prodigy last year but he stayed in Brazil for one more season, and his talents were on show as he was named the player of the match against his future employers. He will shortly join up with their first-team squad.
Estevao was, however, visibly emotional after bringing the curtain down on his time at the club which first thrust him into the spotlight.