'The only thing for me…' – Enzo Maresca answers questions about how he will help young talent prepare
Friday night was a doubly-exciting night for Chelsea fans.
They got to see their team win in the Club World Cup quarter finals and make it to the semis, just one win against Fluminense away from the final. But they also got to see one of the biggest talents in world football, and certainly one of the biggest talents Chelsea have signed in years, play against them.
Advertisement
Estevao Willian not only played, he scored a superb goal. It was a special – if strange – moment.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had said before this game that he had not spoken to the youngster at all yet, which was slightly surprising. But after the match he had the perfect chance to praise the teenager in his post-match press conference, and he took it.
Maresca hails talent and freedom of young charge
Enzo Maresca on the touchline against Palmeiras. (Photo by)
'Yes. Very good, very good. You can see that he's a huge talent. You can see that he's a fantastic player. And the only thing for me is when you come from South America or in general from the other part of the world, Europe, you need to adapt. So, we're going to help him to adapt,' Maresca responded when asked if the winger was ready for the Premier League's physicality.
Advertisement
'First of all, [it's important for him] to be happy, to continue to enjoy football. And we don't have any doubt because he's so good that he's going to be a very important player for Chelsea.'
Estevao already looks more ready to compete than one might expect
In terms of the physicality, we've been expecting a long adaptation period for the winger. But if anything we were impressed with that side of his game last night. He showed great strength a couple of times, and also wasn't afraid to get stuck in.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge disappointed Florian Wirtz chose Liverpool over Bayern Munich
Florian Wirtz is officially a Liverpool player having completed a move from Bayer Leverkusen for what has been reported to be an initial fee of €125 million fee with another €15 million in performance-based add-ons included. He's signed a five-year deal with the reigning Premier League champions, keeping him on Merseyside through 2030 and putting the proverbial nail in the coffin for Bayern Munich, who fully expected him to be joining them before Liverpool swooped in. For the better part of the past six to seven months, Bayern seemed like the natural, logical next step for Wirtz and the player himself indicated interest in making that leap. Former Bayern president Uli Hoeneß had been in routine contact with the player's family to try to seal the deal and explain the plan that the club had for the 22-year old, but in the end, he decided to go to Liverpool. It's been heavily suggested that conversations with manager Arne Slot had a lot to do with Wirtz choosing Liverpool over Bayern, especially knowing that he'll be solidified in the number 10 role there. Advertisement Former Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge expressed the sentiment shared by most Bayern fans when he recently expressed his disappointment with the German Rekordmeister having missed out on such a generational talent. 'Generally speaking, I think it's a pity. We've always had the philosophy that the best German players should play for FC Bayern. We gave it our all; in this case, no one made a mistake. It's Florian's decision – and we have to accept it,' Rummenigge explained in a recent interview with Welt Am Sonntag (via @iMiaSanMia). Meeting – 49th UEFA Ordinary Congress When both Rummenigge and Hoeneß were both still in office at Bayern, they had often dreamed about Hoeneß's desire for 'FC Deutschland,' in wanting to have all of the best German players playing for Bayern. The heavy contingent of Bayern players always being picked for the German national team were often reflective of that dream being, for all intents and purposes, somewhat of a reality, though it has started to trend in the opposite direction in recent years. Advertisement Nonetheless, Bayern is continuously competing with the undertones of top talents choosing the Premier League over the Bundesliga with the allure that the English top flight has. Harry Kane's move to Munich from Tottenham had hallmarks of helping reduce that polarity, but the economic state of disparity between the Premier League and the German top flight is always growing larger. More from
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Man Utd will ‘sacrifice' player hailed as ‘amazing' by Lewandowski if they can't find a suitor for £64m letdown
Man Utd will 'sacrifice' player hailed as 'amazing' by Lewandowski if they can't find a suitor for £64m letdown Manchester United will reluctantly look to offload Joshua Zirkzee in the event Rasmus Hojlund stays at the club this summer. INEOS chiefs have been seeking a suitor for the Dane in recent weeks in hopes of recuperating a fee from his departure that can subsequently be spent on a replacement. Advertisement Fabrizio Romano revealed that talks had been going on between United and Inter Milan over Hojlund since May. However, the Champions League finalists, who are floundering to reinforce their attack following their calamitous defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, are currently only willing to take the player on loan with an option/obligation to buy included in the terms. Why United are uninterested in current Hojlund proposal United supporters are at a loss with their frontman. (Photo by) This, of course, doesn't pose as a particularly lucrative deal for United, as replenishing the transfer kitty after Matheus Cunha's arrival is essential if they want to welcome more signings between now and the end of summer. Advertisement Alas, if a deal cannot be agreed between Hojlund and any interested side, Zirkzee will reportedly be 'sacrificed' (GiveMeSport) amid recognition from the key decision-makers that a substantial reshuffle is needed in the attacking contingent – especially with Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho all poised to depart. Zirkzee's tenure cut be cut short after only 12 months The Netherlands star made 14 Premier League starts in 24/25. (Photo by) Zirkzee, 24, oversaw a mixed maiden campaign in M16. He got off to a dream start when notching his first goal on his debut on the opening day against Fulham, coming off the bench in the closing stages to seal a crucial win and reeling off to celebrate in front of the Stretford End. Then, when he failed to add to his account for another four months, fans began questioning whether he was the right fit for the team. Advertisement This led to the Dutch international being unfairly jeered off the pitch when he was hooked before the interval in a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United at the end of December. Credit where it's due, though, he didn't let it get to him, and instead worked on his game by displaying some high-quality performances with his easy-on-the-eye dribbling and link-up play. As such, it's safe to say fans would feel aggrieved to see Zirkzee leave so prematurely, given he joined only a year ago from Bologna and was utilised as more of a rotational option throughout the term. Robert Lewandowski, who played alongside United's No.11 at Bayern Munich, previously said of the striker: 'He (Zirkzee) plays amazing with his back to the goal,' the world-class frontman began. 'He can hold the ball. He can play with one or two touches or bring wingers [into the game]. 'He is also a good finisher in the box. He's big, you know, he's young, but he's big. And I think he can keep the ball very [well].' Advertisement More Stories / Latest News Man Utd will 'sacrifice' player hailed as 'amazing' by Lewandowski if they can't find a suitor for £64m letdown Jul 5 2025, 7:45 Revealed: What 'special' star requested of INEOS this summer shows he wants to be the 'protagonist' Jul 5 2025, 7:15 After Mbeumo: United line up surprise swoop for cut-price midfielder who's racked up 220 Premier League appearances Jul 5 2025, 6:15
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Thousands paid $50 to secure a season ticket for a Halifax CFL team. Some wonder where the money went
When the proposed Atlantic Schooners CFL franchise announced a season-ticket drive in late 2018, Rob MacCormick spent $100 on a deposit for two seats. The Windsor Junction, N.S., sports fan wanted to support the team. He also hoped that if the franchise came to fruition, more concerts would come to the city because of the stadium the team needed to construct as part of the venture. MacCormick wasn't alone in placing a deposit. The Canadian Press reported in December 2018 that 6,000 people had done the same. At $50 a ticket, that's at least $300,000. CBC News spoke to 10 people who said they paid the deposit. Eight — including MacCormick — said they did not receive refunds. "When you go a pair at a time, it certainly does add up, and maybe somebody should be accountable to this," said MacCormick. As the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, the CFL venture disappeared from the public conversation. Two affiliated companies behind the idea — Schooner Sports and Entertainment and Maritime Football Limited — have had their registrations revoked in the Registry of Joint Stock Companies. Schooner Sports and Entertainment sought municipal and provincial funding to build a 24,000-seat, $110-million stadium in Shannon Park. The space would have been used for community sports and major concerts as well. In December 2019, Halifax council voted to give the proponents $20 million, but only if a list of conditions were met. "We're thrilled. We thank council for their due diligence and very spirited debate. We're very excited to move forward," said Schooner Sports and Entertainment partner Anthony LeBlanc. By April 2020, LeBlanc had taken an executive role with the NHL's Ottawa Senators. However, he remained a director with Maritime Football Limited, the Registry of Joint Stock Companies information shows. MacCormick said he used to get the odd email from Schooner Sports and Entertainment about things like town hall events. He even received a holiday email encouraging him to buy tickets for loved ones. But the emails eventually dried up. "Over time, I felt that the deposit was gone and it was $100, not the end of the world, but you know, it just felt like things weren't going to happen," said MacCormick. The CFL maintains an Atlantic Schooners website. While updates on the state of the franchise are several years old, the site still pulls in fresh stories from the league's website. Jason Mullis, a diehard CFL fan who lives in Gatineau, Que., also put down a deposit for season tickets. He bought tickets because he wanted to see an East Coast franchise that would create a coast-to-coast league and establish a much-sought 10th team. Mullis, who has driven across the country to attend games at all CFL stadiums, has a Facebook page called the Cflhobo that he uses to share his passion for the league. He planned to purchase season tickets for a Halifax franchise, but would have donated most of them given geographic constraints. Mullis said he's not concerned about the refund money, but said he saw some online chatter from unhappy fans. "People were upset. 'Oh, I haven't heard nothing. Where's our money?'" he said."But, I don't worry about it. If you really want it back, you can complain enough, you'll get your money back." CBC contacted officials with Schooner Sports and Entertainment. LeBlanc agreed to an interview, but later sent along a statement instead. In it, he said the proponents are setting up a portal to honour new refund requests. He said information on the portal will be released shortly. LeBlanc said that when Schooner Sports and Entertainment shut down in 2023, the company had no assets or liabilities, and had been offering refunds to season ticket holders for five years. "These deposits were and continued to be refundable, with a significant number of deposit holders seeking refunds," he said in the email. "All of the requests that were submitted through proper channels have been honoured." LeBlanc said the effort to bring a CFL franchise to Halifax involved "significant and material financial obligations, all of which were honoured." He said Schooner Sports and Entertainment partnered with organizations that included architectural, public relations, government relations and marketing firms. Schooner Sports and Entertainment also partnered with the CFL on a 2019 game that was held in Moncton, N.B., that led to "significant and material financial losses," said LeBlanc. The organization decided to spike the CFL franchise, in part, because of a lack of appetite to help fund the project. "With the onset of the pandemic, all public sector entities made the very prudent decision to pause, and eventually withdrew agreements and suspended ongoing discussions regarding the project," said LeBlanc. MORE TOP STORIES
