West Ham can land their very own Estevao in £25m wonderkid with ‘enormous potential’

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West Ham United’s livewire left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf is certainly up there with the best Premier League newcomer, but even he cannot match the impact made by the electrifying Estevao down the road at Chelsea.

If there was an award given out to ‘Newcomer of the Year’, in a similar vein to the Bundesliga ‘Rookie of the Year’ award handed out to Michael Olise on the back of a fabulous debut season at Bayern Munich, the Senegalese starlet would surely be in contention for a spot on the podium.

Malick Diouf’s progress has been ‘incredible’ over the last couple of years. From arriving in Norway as an unknown quantity in 2023, West Ham United’s number 12 has blossomed into one of the brightest young full-backs in the game.

So much so that, while Diouf has ambitions of emulating Nuno Mendes’ rapid rise at Paris Saint-Germain while joining a ‘top five’ club himself, most West Ham fans are backing the youngster in his desire to reach the elite.

Talking of ‘elite’, Estevao is bordering on such a level already, only months after joining Chelsea in an inspired £29 million transfer. That Estevao has been such a hit down the road, while another Palmeiras graduate in Luis Guilherme struggles at the London Stadium, will do little to ease the frustrations of a Hammers fanbase who already have a lot to complain about on the recruitment front.

But as Diario AS throw West Ham into the mix for the next bright young thing to fall off the Palmeiras conveyor belt, could the dazzling Allan Elias thrive where Guilherme has stalled?

West Ham United in the race to sign Allan Elias from Palmeiras

According to Bolavip, the Palmeiras bosses reportedly believe that Allan possesses ‘similar potential’ to the aforementioned Estevao.

Allan, like Estevao and Guilherme, is a versatile attacker who burst onto the scene in Brazil thanks in part to his explosive acceleration and his penchant for tying unsuspecting defenders into pretzel-like knots.

At the age of 21, Allan’s emergence took a little longer than that of Estevao and Guilherme, both of whom are still teenagers.

The wait, though, looks like being worth it.

“It’s okay that Alan took a while,” analyst Luiz [not Luis] Guilherme said on the Charla podcast after Allan inspired Palmeiras’ very own Remontada in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores at the end of October.

“[Some] need a little more time to mature.

“Today is the day. His main performance while wearing the shirt of Palmeiras. What did he today, at the Allianz Parque [stadium] it’s a day for eternity. Today, no one will forget what Allan did on the field.”

Palmeiras were 3-0 down to Ecuadorian outfit LDU Quito going into the second leg. That they now have a final against Brazilian rivals Flamengo to look forward to owes much to a sumptuous Allan assist which set Les Verts on their way to a historic comeback victory.

“Allan was the perfect player for today, because it’s obvious that LDU, with a 3-0 lead, would close up defensively and defend as much as possible,” Fabio Andrade told UOL Esporte.

“So, only a player who excels in one-on-one situations, who is skilful and can get past the opposing defence would be able to break through that obstacle.”

“Everything Allan did today worked. All the dribbles, the crosses. He tore apart LDU’s defence,” fellow reporter Alicia Klein agreed. “That’s something we see a lot with the young players from Palmeiras’ youth academy.

“This psychological work they do in the youth system is impressive because [those players] arrive so mature. He was the star of the game in one of the greatest matches in Palmeiras’ history; a Libertadores semi-final.”

Will Allan emulate Chelsea’s Estevao or struggle like Luis Guilherme?

AS report that, in addition to West Ham, Fulham and Everton have thrown their hat into the ring. Telegrafi add that Palmeiras have turned down offers of £17 million already, though his Premier League suitors are prepared to test the waters with bids in the region of £25 million.

Of course, things did not go to plan the last time West Ham paid such a hefty fee for a Brazilian forward who had recently burst onto the scene with Palmeiras. Luis Guilherme has started only one Premier League match in over a year in East London.

But as Estevao’s thrilling start at Stamford Bridge proves, sometimes expensive risks bring serious rewards.

“Allan is a gem,” Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira beams. “A player with enormous potential. He must continue to work, but he has great value.”