Andrey Santos, who is on loan from Chelsea, hasn’t had a positive start at Nottingham Forest, as he has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League for the club.
The 19-year-old Brazilian joined Chelsea in January after an impressive youth career with Vasco De Gama, where he made his first-team debut at just 16.
In his final season at Vasco De Gama, he scored eight goals and provided two assists in 33 appearances as a central midfielder.
Shortly after joining Chelsea at the beginning of the year, Andrey Santos also captained Brazil’s Under-20 national team to a World Cup title without a single defeat.
He was the top scorer in the tournament, netting six goals, and this achievement earned him his debut for the senior Brazil international team in March.
Chelsea fans were filled with hope as the pre-season arrived, especially during the U.S. tour, which was an excellent opportunity for Santos to showcase his talents to his new fans.
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He certainly made an impression, featuring in four out of five summer games, with his only absence being in a match against Borussia Dortmund.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino understood that Santos wasn’t prepared for Premier League action, leading to the last-minute signings of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia before the summer transfer window closed.
Therefore, when Santos was loaned out to Premier League counterparts Nottingham Forest, the fans understood the reason behind the move.
The goal was to provide the young player with valuable playing time in a team striving to enhance their performance in their second season back in the Premier League, which seemed like an ideal scenario. However, things have not gone as planned more than a month into the loan deal.
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Santos has yet to make an appearance for Forest in any of their five league games since his arrival at the club. Two of these games were right after his announcement, with one being against Chelsea, where he couldn’t play.
It has been now stated by the Athletic that the Blues are closely monitoring the loan deal and there’s a clause that allows them to recall Santos in January if needed, a move that some fans are already demanding.
Forest could face financial penalties for not fielding Santos when he’s fit, further tilting the deal in Chelsea’s favour.
Pochettino appears keen on his players gaining valuable experience while he establishes a solid foundation in his first season with the club.
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This approach is aimed at making the most of his players when they return to the club over the summer, rather than them becoming mere loaned players in the Chelsea system, as has sometimes happened in the past.
