Chelsea news: How £117m Morgan Rogers transfer has affected Estevao's role under Xabi Alonso

Estevao's reduced role at Chelsea is about more than a teenager struggling for minutes under a new manager, with the £117m arrival of Morgan Rogers having complicated the pathway originally envisaged for the Brazilian.

Four months after ending his first season in England on a high, Estevao has found opportunities far harder to come by under Xabi Alonso.

The 19-year-old has played just 18 minutes across Chelsea's opening three Premier League matches, all from the bench, and was an unused substitute against Brighton.

He did start in the EFL Cup, only to be withdrawn at half time, leaving questions over where exactly he fits into Alonso's new-look side.

The issue is particularly intriguing because Estevao did not join Chelsea simply with the expectation of remaining permanently as a right winger.

Before his move from Palmeiras was completed, agent Andre Cury revealed that Chelsea had stood out from the other clubs pursuing his client because they viewed Estevao as a potential number 10.

That vision suited a player who grew up operating centrally before making his senior breakthrough from the right in Brazil.

There is no evidence Chelsea made a formal promise that Estevao would play exclusively through the middle, but the possibility of developing into a central creator formed an important part of the sporting project presented to his camp.

Under Alonso, that route has suddenly become considerably more crowded.

Why Morgan Rogers has changed Estevao's Chelsea pathway

Alonso has predominantly favoured a 3-4-2-1 in which two attacking midfielders operate behind the centre-forward.

Those two positions have so far belonged to Cole Palmer and Rogers.

Palmer's importance needs little explanation, while Chelsea's decision to spend £117m on Rogers underlined how central the former Aston Villa player would be to Alonso's plans.

The pair also provide different qualities.

Palmer can organise attacks and find decisive passes in the final third, while Rogers offers ball-carrying ability, physical power and the capacity to break lines before attacking the space around the penalty area.

That leaves Estevao facing a structural problem rather than simply losing a direct individual battle.

To secure the central role his entourage has long viewed as his future, he would currently need to displace either Palmer or Chelsea's £117m summer signing.

Alonso has nevertheless publicly defended the Brazilian, insisting after the defeat to Arsenal that Estevao remains “fully involved” and praising his attitude in training.

The Chelsea boss has indicated that he is counting on the youngster, making it difficult to frame the situation simply as a manager losing faith in a player.

Instead, Chelsea's project has changed since Estevao originally chose Stamford Bridge.

Rogers was not signed to block his development, but his arrival has helped create a team in which Estevao's preferred position is already occupied by two of the club's most important attacking players.

Could Estevao's solution come from the right?

There remains another route into Alonso's side.

Pedro Neto has begun the season as an important option on the right, but Estevao's interpretation of the position gives Chelsea something different.

The Brazilian naturally receives wide before driving inside onto his stronger foot, attacking defenders and looking either for a route towards goal or combinations in central areas.

Alonso experimented with precisely that idea against Luton Town in the EFL Cup, switching to a 4-2-3-1 and allowing Estevao to start on the right while moving into more central spaces.

The difficulty is what happens without the ball.

When Alonso uses wing-backs, the wide role carries greater physical and defensive demands than those Estevao experienced while developing at Palmeiras.

Joao Paulo Sampaio, who worked in Palmeiras's academy during Estevao's development, has previously suggested that the youngster is capable of adapting to such a role but noted that he was not developed as a wing-back.

Waiting for a central opportunity is the alternative, although Chelsea's lack of European football this season reduces the natural opportunities for rotation.

An injury, loss of form or tactical change involving Palmer or Rogers could eventually open the door, but regular minutes are far from guaranteed in the short term.

That creates an interesting challenge for a player who made 36 appearances, started 20 games and contributed to 11 goals during his first Chelsea season.

Estevao has also retained Carlo Ancelotti's confidence at international level, earning another Brazil call-up as the national team begin their new cycle towards the 2030 World Cup.

Chelsea therefore do not necessarily have an Estevao crisis, nor is there evidence that Alonso has rejected one of the club's brightest young talents.

The problem is more subtle: the player Chelsea originally imagined developing into a number 10 has returned for his second season to find Palmer and a £117m signing standing directly in that pathway.

His next step may depend on whether Alonso eventually adapts his structure to Estevao, or whether Estevao first has to adapt himself to Alonso's Chelsea.