Chelsea have spent big in the summer transfer window as they look to claim the Premier League title.
The Blues have strengthened in attack with Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens arriving from Ipswich, Brighton and Borussia Dortmund, respectively.
In midfield, Dario Essugo swells the club’s ranks, while Jorrel Hato bolsters the west London side at the back.
Chelsea continue to be linked with moves for Alejandro Garnacho and Xavi Simons, while the club are expected to dip into the market to add a centre-back after Levi Colwill suffered an ACL injury in training last week.
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However, it’s one who actually signed for the club last year that has drawn the most excitement for the west London side.
Chelsea announced in June 2024 that Willian Estevao would join the club upon his 18th birthday in 2025 for a fee that could rise to £55m, and fans will have watched closely as the teenager tore up the Brasileirao prior to his switch to the capital.
Estevao made his first Chelsea appearance last week as he scored his first goal for the club after just 18 minutes in a pre-season win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Gittens blown away by Estevao
Fellow summer arrival Gittens was quick to praise Estevao following his showing against the Bundesliga giants.
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“It was amazing. You’ve seen the Joga Bonito. He’s a great player with so much skill and attributes, so it was great to see him play and score," Gittens said of Estevao's performance against Leverkusen via The Standard.
“We see it in training every day. He’s been here for a week, and he’s already done mad things in training, so to see it today was just one part of him doing it every day.”
Having quickly shot to prominence, there has been early talk of a Ballon d’Or nomination further down the line, which would appeal to former side Palmeiras.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Estevao has a Ballon d’Or clause in his contract and the Brazilian side will receive a bonus if the Brazilian forward claims the accolade as a Chelsea player up until 2033.
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While not quite as illustrious as the Ballon d’Or, Estevao has been nominated for the prestigious Kopa Trophy, which is handed to the world’s best player aged 21 and under as chosen by previous Ballon d’Or winners.
Cole Palmer and Enzo Maresca have also received individual nominations, with the winners announced later this year.
Estevao isn’t the first player to have a Ballon d’Or clause inserted into his contract when he has moved to a Premier League side.
Premier League stars and their Ballon d'Or clauses
Cristiano Ronaldo had one when he returned to Manchester United for his second spell at Old Trafford in 2021, and had the Portugal international won the individual accolade, he would have bagged himself a cool £1m.
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United seem content with inserting Ballon d’Or clauses into high-profile signing contracts, with Anthony Martial having one when he arrived from Monaco in 2015.
The French side would have earned an additional £7.2m had Martial gone on to win the award, which Monaco deemed ‘very realistic’ after the Frenchman was named the 2015 Golden Boy.
In addition, current United skipper Bruno Fernandes also had a Ballon d’Or clause inserted when he signed from Sporting in 2020, though having failed to be nominated for the 2025 award, it’s unlikely to be activated anytime soon.
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Another to move to the Premier League in 2020, Thiago Alcantara joined Liverpool in with the Reds agreeing to pay Bayern £6m in performance related bonuses, one of which included winning the Ballon d’Or.
Reds forward Mohamed Salah, meanwhile, had a slightly different Ballon d’Or clause in his Liverpool deal, or at least he did a few years ago.
The Egypt international, who was a contender for the gong earlier in the year, had a ‘secret clause’ in his Liverpool contract that meant he could demand a move to La Liga pair Real Madrid or Barcelona if he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or with Liverpool, according to Don Balon via The Mirror.
Topics: Chelsea, Premier League, Football, Ballon d'Or, Transfers
Ben McAleer