Chelsea have ‘bought an amazing player’ as Maresca credits ‘huge talent’ amid £78.5m UEFA fine
Chelsea have been told that they have “bought an amazing player” after they edged past Palmeiras to reach the Club World Cup semi-finals.
On Friday evening, Chelsea faced Brazilian outfit Palmeiras in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup.
A few hours before this game, it was announced that UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) had found Chelsea guilty of breaching their ‘football earnings rule’ and their ‘squad cost rule’.
The Blues have subsequently reached a settlement agreement with UEFA and will pay an initial fine of €31m (£26.7m), though they could pay an additional €60m (£51.8m) in conditional fees.
Other clubs have fallen foul of UEFA’s rules, but no club has received as severe a punishment as Chelsea, with Aston Villa receiving a lesser fine.
The Blues face paying a bigger fine if they fail to meet the targets set by the governing body over the next four years, while the two Premier League clubs can only register new players in their Champions League and Europa League squads for next season if the player’s cost is not greater than the player they are replacing.
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Chelsea did not let this affect them in the Club World Cup, though. Cole Palmer opened the scoring before Palmeiras sensation Estevao Willian, who has completed a deal to join the Premier League giants for an initial £29m once this tournament is complete, equalised for his current team. The Blues were the better side and won 2-1 as Weverton netted an own goal in the final ten minutes.
Post-match, all the talk was about Estevao, with head coach Enzo Maresca insisting the Chelsea-bound starlet is a “huge talent”.
“You can see he is a huge talent,” Maresca said.
“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.”
On his goal, Estevao said: “I’m very happy I could score a goal to help my club.
“Unfortunately this wasn’t the result we wanted but we gave our best on the pitch.
“Now I am moving on and I thank Palmeiras for everything. I will cheer Palmeiras on and I am so happy to have been part of this club.”
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Palmeiras boss Abel Ferreira also reserved praise for Estevao after the final whistle, insisting Chelsea have “bought an amazing player”.
“You bought an amazing player but more than this you bought an amazing person,” he said.
“You need to take care of him. You need to embrace him and in the beginning for sure he will make mistakes. He is an amazing player with a lot of skill. He is a player who can win a game alone.
“With new players and a new coach he will grow as a player and a person. For sure he will need your support. It’s the first time he will leave his country. In England the sun appears two or three times a year and the night comes early but with help Chelsea have conditions to support him.”
Ferreira added: “He has a lot of mobility. He looks slim, but he is strong. He is fast. The way he shot on goal was with his right foot. He is an amazing player.”
