Chelsea no longer look like a frightening Premier League title challenger.
Indeed, after beating Barcelona with ease 3-0 in the Champions League at the end of November, and then battling well with league leaders Arsenal 1-1 to close out the month, Enzo Maresca’s Blues came across as credible rivals to the Gunners.
However, fast forward just a few weeks, and the West Londoners have now lost on the road at Leeds United and were made to settle for an unsatisfactory stalemate away at AFC Bournemouth.
If Antoine Semenyo hadn’t fallen victim to a VAR check early on, too, it might well have been back-to-back defeats.
There’s nowhere to hide, either, for Maresca and Co. as the fixtures come thick and fast in December. Thankfully, the January transfer window is also just around the corner, as Chelsea begin to eye up some reinforcements…
Chelsea looking to sign another South American talent
After only scoring one meagre goal against the Whites and the Cherries, Chelsea will surely look to January to fix their striker woes.
As per reports from Germany, the goal-shy Blues are keen on a deal for Borussia Dortmund forward Serhou Guirassy, with current options at Maresca’s disposal in Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, not “of the level” to steer the faltering Premier League side to a title, as per the harsh words of Sky Sports’ Gary Neville.
That said, the Blues could also look to bolster their side in defensive areas.
Indeed, according to Caught Offside, Chelsea could put their connections with RC Strasbourg, another club owned by BlueCo, to good use once more by going after Valentin Barco in January, with it being stated that the Blues are still closely monitoring the versatile 21-year-old, who can fill in at left-back, after holding interest in his services in the summer.
Yet, it’s his varied ability to be able to line up as a central midfield talent, away from his energetic defensive duties, that has also attracted the likes of Bayern Munich to his services.
Chelsea will hope they can come out on top in any battle that pops up, as the Stamford Bridge titans potentially win their next Estevao by landing another South American treasure who can instantly burst into life in the Premier League.
How Barco could be Chelsea's next Estevao
Like Barco, Estevao was on the radar of many an elite club before Chelsea swooped in, with both Real Madrid and Paris St Germain once eyeing up the exhilarating Brazilian.
Maresca and Co will be over the moon that they snapped up the teenage winger when they did, with the “utterly brilliant” forward – as pundit Pat Nevin labelled him after his outrageous solo effort versus Barcelona – already up to five goals and one assist from just 20 Chelsea appearances.
The expectation will be that Barco would arrive on English soil and be as impactful as instantly, considering the 21-year-old already has plenty of European experience under his belt with Strasbourg, away from also undergoing his early football education in South America.
Games played
13
Goals scored
1
Assists
4
Touches*
69.8
Accurate passes*
42.8 (84%)
Big chances created
7
Ball recoveries*
5.3
Total duels won*
6.8
Noted as being one of “South America’s biggest jewels” when on the books of River Plate by scout Jacek Kulig, with Estevao, of course, also heralded as “world-class” when just 17 years of age in Brazil by the aforementioned Kulig, Barco has come into his own even more in Ligue 1 with Liam Rosenior’s men, as shown in the table above.
With one goal and four assists for the season in the French top-flight, Barco looks more than ready to leap into the Premier League shortly, with the likes of Marc Cucurella no doubt scared for his starting spot at left-back, as the much-talked-about 21-year-old has created seven big chances and won 6.8 duels per game this campaign as a full-throttle force.
On the flip side, Chelsea’s number three only has only created three big chances and won 4.1 duels par match from his collection of league appearances to date, with Barco keen to shake up the Stamford Bridge first team ranks, much like Estevao did instantly on his arrival from Palmeiras.
Capable of also offering Maresca another body centrally, this does really feel as if it has all the makings of being a top-drawer acquisition from South America, much like Estevao was.
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ByAngus Sinclair Dec 7, 2025