Estevao wants to get back into the starting XI at Chelsea (Picture: Getty Images) Xabi Alonso insists there are no issues with winger Estevao after reports that the youngster is growing frustrated at Chelsea. The 19-year-old was unveiled at Stamford Bridge in August last year and showed very exciting glimpses over 36 appearances last season, scoring eight goals. The teenager has already won 11 caps for Brazil, scoring five times for his country, with many expecting him to develop into a global superstar. However, this season has started slowly, making two substitute appearances in the Premier League so far, totally 16 minutes on the field. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. He did start a Carabao Cup win over Luton Town, but top flight action is what he will want, especially given there is no European football for Chelsea this season. ESPN Brasil reported that Estevao has concerns over his game time at Chelsea and the position he will be deployed when he is on the pitch. The report states that he would prefer one of the central positions taken up by Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers to the right wing-back role in which Pedro Neto has been playing. Estevao had a very bright cameo in Chelsea’s defeat at Arsenal (Picture: Getty Images) He is not getting much of a chance in either position at the moment and he could push for a move elsewhere if that continues, according to the report from his homeland. Alonso has dismissed talk of the youngster being unsettled, though, with Estevao likely to get another run out in the Carabao Cup against Leeds United on Wednesday. ‘No, Este is ready. He’s training well,’ Alonso told a press conference on whether Estevao is unhappy. ‘The other day [against Arsenal], he had a good impact and a good chance. ‘With Este, I count on him 100 per cent because of his potential because he’s so young. The season is going to be long.’ Xabi Alonso expects Estevao to play a part for him this season (Picture: Getty Images) On whether he has spoken to the teenager, the Chelsea boss said: ‘Private conversations should remain private. ‘The season is going to be long. The players have the desire and the hunger to improve. ‘Este is part of the group – he has a very good attitude and mentality to prepare for every game.’ Estevao will feature against Leeds, but summer signing Marco Palestra and Moises Caicedo remain out with injuries. ‘Not yet,’ Alonso said of the pair’s availability. ‘They’re still not ready to go. It’s not the moment to take too early of a risk. We’ll go game by game with them, but it’s too early.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
Manchester United are one of the sides in action on Thursday (Picture: Getty) The Champions League returns this week with 18 matches taking place across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. While Tuesday and Wednesday fixtures are a traditional part of the competition, games taking place on a Thursday are a less familiar sight for Champions League audiences. This is because UEFA has decided that the first week of the Champions League should be exclusive to the competition, with no fixtures from the Europa League and Conference League taking place. The Europa League’s exclusive week, meanwhile, will take place on Wednesday, September 16 and Thursday, September 17. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. After the exclusive first week, the Champions League will revert back to its usual schedule with games staged across Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Incidentally, the Europa League will also return to its Thursday night programme from the second matchday onwards. Bayern Munich will have to wait until Thursday to get their campaign underway (Picture: Getty) Manchester United are amongst the teams who will be playing in the Champions League on Thursday this week, with Michael Carrick’s men hosting Azerbaijani side Sabah at Old Trafford. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich welcome last season’s surprise package Bodo/Glimt to the Allianz Arena, while Champions League debutants Como play RB Leipzig. Champions League matchday one 8pm kick-off unless otherwise stated Tuesday, September 8 Club Brugge vs Aston Villa (5.45pm) AEK Athens vs LASK (5.45pm) Porto vs Manchester City Real Madrid vs Inter Dortmund vs Villarreal Lille vs Betis Wednesday, September 9 Barcelona vs Feyenoord (5.45pm) Stuttgart vs Viking (5.45pm) Napoli vs Arsenal Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid PSG vs Slovan Bratislava Sporting vs Galatasaray Thursday, September 10 Fenerbahce vs Roma (5.45pm) PSV vs Shakhtar Donetsk (5.45pm) Bayern vs Bodo/Glimt Slavia Praha vs Lens Como vs RB Leipzig Man Utd vs Sabah What about the early kick-offs? The opening round of fixtures consists of six games starting at 5.45pm, and the early matches will continue to be a part of the Champions League schedule throughout the season. The early kick-off time was introduced by UEFA for its club competitions in 2021 in an attempt to boost international viewing figures for matches. The move hasn’t been universally popular, however, with one common complaint being that fans commuting home from work often miss the start of the match on TV. The early start also leaves little time for match-going supporters to reach the stadium on time after work – and not to mention the fact they are often travelling during peak public transport times. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
Tottenham Hotspur made a host of calls over the summer transfer window and we pick out five decisions Spurs got wrong. The post Five Transfer Decisions Tottenham Hotspur Got Wrong This Summer appeared first on Inside Futbol | Latest Football News, Transfer Rumours & Articles.
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