There were high expectations surrounding Andrey Santos after he returned from a brilliant loan spell at Strasbourg. Early on in the campaign, he was not getting a ton of football. But over time, he was able to win over Enzo Maresca to a certain extent and got a fair few chances.
Santos’ game time has increased further since the appointment of Liam Rosenior. Understandably so, as it was the English manager who turned him into one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1 last season.
Unfortunately, for many, Santos has not met expectations. Last season, on loan at Strasbourg, he had scored 12 goals and provided five assists. In contrast, he has two goals for Chelsea this season. Both of them have come in domestic cup competitions. Overall, he does not have a single goal contribution in the Premier League.
It is worth noting that he has played a lot of his football as a deep midfield option. But even then, it looks like the club were expecting bigger things from the Brazilian international. In fact, if reports are accurate, they have opened doors to an exit.
Chelsea open to Andrey Santos exit
Last summer, it was reported that Chelsea turned down an offer in the region of £50 million for Santos from Al-Qadsiah. Clearly, they had high hopes for the Brazilian and what kind of impact he could have. But the stance seems to have changed since then.
According to The Chelsea Chronicle, journalist Simon Phillips has shared that Chelsea will listen to offers for Santos. He wrote:
“As well as Fernandez, our sources have heard that Chelsea will listen to offers for both Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos this summer.
“There’s obvious concerns over the sustainability of Lavia, and Santos hasn’t quite stepped up to the plate as expected. Chelsea are not actively looking at pushing either player out, but they will certainly listen to offers for them, with both players now attracting serious Premier League interest for the summer.”
Is it already time to start considering Santos’ exit?
If you ask me, Santos deserves a bit more time. This is his first season in the Premier League. And he has come into a difficult situation. This is not a team that is thriving at the moment. They are struggling badly. They have not even scored in their last four matches against top-flight opposition. Unsurprisingly, the Brazilian youngster has found it tough.
One cannot forget that he is still just 21 years old. He deserves time to settle in and eventually show what he is capable of. There are plenty of other players who have been at the club for a lot longer and don’t seem to be going anywhere.
Romeo Lavia is one of them. The Belgian midfielder is a phenomenal talent. But he simply cannot remain fit for any consistent length of time. Availability is the best quality at this level of sport though. So, it might be time to start considering his departure. Nobody can blame the Blues for doing that.
Interestingly, these rumours about Santos and Lavia have cropped up soon after the club announced record losses. It has been talked about how the Blues want to add more experience to this team and bring in those who are ready to make an impact in the starting XI from the off. To do that, they will need to say goodbye to a few of their current players first.
