Chelsea risk MORE Strasbourg outrage with latest transfer decision

Tom Weber

Updated: 25 Mar 2024 21:00 GMT
4 min read

Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, Chelsea — © IMAGO

Andrey Santos' controversial loan from Chelsea to Strasbourg could be extended, according to French media.

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The Brazilian wonderkid has had a difficult season. After joining up with Chelsea's squad for the first time in the summer, he was immediately loaned to Nottingham Forest, but it proved to be a major transfer mistake.

Despite being one of the most highly-rated youngsters on Chelsea's books, Santos only played seven minutes of Premier League football before being recalled by the Blues in January. The midfielder then headed to Brazil for pre-Olympic international duties, which meant that a new move for him was a tough sell to interested clubs who would have had to make do without him for some time.

In the end, he was shipped out on loan to sister club Strasbourg on January Deadline Day in a controversial move that sparked outrage from supporters of the Ligue 1 club. Strasbourg fans, it is fair to say, have not taken kindly to their club being bought by BlueCo.

Strasbourg boss Patrick Vieria had demanded experienced reinforcements for his young squad, but 19-year-old Santos was the only player brought in during the window, prompting protests from the fans, with their club hovering precariously above the relegation zone.

Santos loan to be extended?

In light of this horrific transfer window, Strasbourg president Marc Keller was forced to defend BlueCo's ownership, insisting that 'it is not a pyramid scheme' and that the investment from Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and company was necessary.

Further outrage was sparked by the recent news that fellow Chelsea loanee Angelo Gabriel could be out until the end of the season, leaving the Alsatians without a recognised right-winger due to the decision to not sign a competitor for him so as to maximise his game time.

Now, L'Equipe is reporting that Andrey Santos' six-month loan could be extended by a further season. The youngster impressed on his debut and has since gone from strength to strength. Vieira is happy with him and it is claimed that he could stay in France longer to help him better acclimatise to European football.