Chelsea make Andrey Santos transfer decision after Strasbourg loan

Tom Weber

Updated: 11 Jun 2024 15:01 BST
3 min read

Andrey Santos, Strasbourg, Enzo Maresca, Chelsea — © IMAGO

Chelsea have no intention to sell or loan Andrey Santos this summer, according to a report.

Article continues under the video

The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at affiliate club Strasbourg and impressed. Despite a lot of noise surrounding the deal, with Alsatian fans outraged at receiving a young midfielder when they needed experience and wide players and Santos arriving late due to pre-Olympic duties with Brazil, the loan was a success.

Santos managed to overcome his early season struggles at Nottingham Forest, where he barely played, and managed to become a key player for Strasbourg. Ultimately, he only featured in 11 games, but he did enough to impress the Chelsea hierarchy, including new boss Enzo Maresca.

Initially, it had been thought that Chelsea would extend his loan with their French sister club to help him get a full season free of disruptions under his belt, but according to The Athletic, that will not be the case this summer.

Santos set for first-team spot

It is claimed that Santos has been earmarked for a spot in Chelsea's first team for next season. Despite receiving several enquiries from teams around Europe, the report states that the Blues have no intention to let Santos leave on loan or permanently in the upcoming window.

Internally, the Brazilian midfielder is seen as an ideal fit for Maresca's system, with Santos' ability to play both as a six and an eight making him a valuable asset.

Due to Chelsea playing in the Conference League next season, they want to keep the youngster around as an additional body to alleviate the concerns of fixture congestion after suffering a severe injury crisis last term - despite not having had European football.

The news of Santos staying at Stamford Bridge won't delight club bosses at Strasbourg, who are facing a summer of some upheaval. That won't be conducive to achieving coach Patrick Vieira's stated goal of finishing in the top ten next term and playing in Europe within two years.