Why Andrey Santos’ Chelsea transfer could spark Premier League revolution

Robin Bairner

• 1 Mar 2023 12:11 GMT
• 3 min read

Andrey Santos’ failure to secure a work permit with Chelsea could spark a change in Premier League policy with regards visas.

Chelsea spent €12.5 million to sign the 18-year-old Brazil prospect from Vasco da Gama in the January transfer window but will not be able to have him play or even train with the team as the Blues don’t believe that he is eligible for a work permit in the UK.

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Instead, the player is liable to head back on loan to Vasco, who won promotion from Brazil’s second tier into Serie A last season, although there is still interest from MLS outfit LA Galaxy.

Andrey Santos is expected to remain at either of those clubs until the summer, at which point he will ideally be able to head back to Stamford Bridge to be assessed in pre-season, though this is likely to depend on his appearances.

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Why can’t Andrey Santos play for Chelsea?

Chelsea and Andrey Santos has fallen foul of Brexit.

Players arriving in the UK must have a sufficient total of points to receive a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE), which in turn gives them the right for a visa. These points are accrued by aspects such as international and domestic appearances and are weighted on aspects like their volume and quality. Andrey Santos does not have enough to qualify for a visa.

The FA has asked the government to lower the total number of points required to receive a GBE from 15 to 12, which would have been sufficient for Andrey Santos to play with Chelsea immediately.

The Daily Mail reports that the Premier League bosses want more weight attributed to teams in smaller leagues, such as those in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, as well as second-tier competitions in major countries.

Furthermore, the Premier League is also aiming for the ban in signing foreign players under the age of 18 to be at least partially lifted.

These rules are in place in a bid to safeguard the future of young British talent and are set by the UK government and not footballing authorities.

Prior to Brexit, Arsenal, for example, signed Gabriel Martinelli from Ituano - a deal that would be blocked under the new rules.

Chelsea and the Premier League are lobbying for this to change following the Andrey Santos case.