"That's where I'm in my element" - Estevao Willian names his preferred position ahead of Chelsea move

Brazilian footballer Estevao Willian would love to play as a midfielder when he arrives at Chelsea later this summer. The Blues signed Willian from Brazilian side Palmeiras for a reported fee of €66 million last year in June.

Willian will join Chelsea in the summer after he turns 18. He earned his place in Palmeiras' senior team as a right winger and also gained the Blues' attention playing out wide. However, he now wants to play in the midfield like he did while playing academy football.

Willian explained that he changed his playing position from a midfielder to a winger during the latter stages of his time in the academy. He made the transition to avoid excessive physical contact, revealing during an interview with FIFA (via TBR Football):

"I started playing as a winger towards the end of my acedamy days, to avoid as much physical contact and give me more one versus one's. That's how I earned my spot in the Palmeiras side, where there's a lot of competition for places in the middle of the park, but really, I'm more of a midfielder."

He added:

"That's where I'm in my element. In a few years' time, I'd like to get back to playing in my original position."

Estevao Willian has made 47 appearances for Palmeiras' first team, bagging 15 goals and 10 assists across all competitions.

Enzo Maresca claims that Chelsea don't need to sign a new striker in January

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has defended Nicolas Jackson, saying that the Blues are not required to sign a new forward in the winter transfer window. Maresca's side have scored 41 goals in the Premier League this season, only behind Arsenal and Liverpool.

However, the Blues are winless in their last five Premier League games and have dropped to the fifth spot in the table. Jackson, who has bagged nine goals for Chelsea in the English top-tier football this season, has failed to find the back of the net even once in their last five League matches.

However, Enzo Maresca has backed his attacker with trust. When asked about the Blues looking forward to signing a new striker this month, Maresca said (via the GOAL):

"No, because I think by being a little bit more lucky, we can convert and can score more goals. It's not about (signing) a 'killer'. At this moment, the one that's probably missing the goal is Nico. But the way he's working is fantastic, and we don't have any doubt that Nico is soon going to start scoring goals."

Next up, the Blues will host Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Stamford Bridge on Monday, January 21.