Chelsea in DREAMLAND as future wonderkid nets brace

Cameron Smith

• 27 Oct 2024 14:00 CDT
• 3 min read

Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos continued his fine form at Strasbourg with a brace against FC Nantes on Sunday afternoon.

The Brazilian midfielder joined Chelsea from Vasco da Gama back in January 2023, but he is yet to make his senior debut for the club.

He spent the first half of last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, before joining Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg in January.

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Multiple reports stated that Santos was set to be included in Chelsea’s first-team plans under Enzo Maresca this season, but the club decided the best course of action was for the Brazilian to return to Strasbourg for an entire season.

That decision now looks like a masterstroke, with Santos firmly establishing himself as one of the world’s most promising midfield prospects since the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

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Andrey Santos at Strasbourg

Santos missed Strasbourg’s Ligue 1 opener against Montpellier, but he has started every single league match since then, racking up five goals and one assist in just eight games.

He has become an indispensable member of Liam Rosenior’s side and he produced arguably his best performance of the campaign at home to Nantes on Sunday.

Santos earned a 9.1 FootballCritic rating during Strasbourg’s 3-1 win, with the Brazilian registering two goals in a Man of the Match display from central midfield.

As a result of his brace, Santos is now the highest-scoring central midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues this season, while he has combined that attacking prowess with significant defensive solidity and composure in possession.

The talented Brazilian is an all-round, all-action midfielder and he has taken Ligue 1 by storm this year.

Given the midfield talent already at Maresca’s disposal, Santos isn’t guaranteed to become a first-team regular at Chelsea, but he is clearly one of the most talented youngsters across the entirety of world football and deserves a chance to impress the new Blues boss next year.