Xabi Alonso had nine words ready when he was asked why Estevao never left the Anfield bench on Wednesday night.
“We knew that it was going to be physical,” the Chelsea manager said, as reported by Football365, after watching his side go out of the Carabao Cup to Liverpool on penalties.
Chelsea drew 1-1 and lost 6-5 in the shootout, Wesley Fofana missing the decisive kick. The 19-year-old Brazilian winger had been named among the substitutes with Cole Palmer suspended and João Pedro unavailable, yet never came on. The travelling supporters chanted his name for long stretches of the night.
Alonso followed the “physical” line with a longer promise.
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“Trust me, I’m sure the season is going to be long and Este is going to play his role,” the Spaniard said afterwards, in comments carried by Sportsmole.
O’Hara: this will haunt Alonso
Jamie O’Hara did not accept any of it. The former Tottenham midfielder, speaking on talkSPORT and relayed by The Chelsea Chronicle, warned that leaving Estevao out would “eventually come back to haunt” Alonso and accused Chelsea of having “buried” the forward’s career since the summer.
Fellow pundit Jermaine Pennant joined the attack in the same segment, telling Alonso the handling of Estevao risked losing him the Chelsea support entirely. O’Hara’s prediction went further still: he does not expect to see the Brazilian start another match in 2026.
Barcelona watching, January in view
The dressing-room noise is matching the terrace noise. According to footballtransfers.com, citing TEAMtalk, Estevao is “increasingly concerned” about his lack of involvement and could reassess his future ahead of the January transfer window if the situation does not change.
Barcelona are among the clubs monitoring him. The outlet values him at around €110m, a long way above the fee Chelsea paid Palmeiras last summer, and places January as the point at which the player and his representatives will take stock.
Chelsea’s own position pulls the other way. The club maintain the forward is central to their plans and are keen to tie him to a new contract. The player’s priority, according to the same report, is first-team minutes rather than extra years on his deal.
Estevao has played 47 minutes of Premier League football this season and has not started a league match.
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