Chelsea has made a surprising decision regarding the future of Andrey Santos.
They signed him in January 2023 for a fee between £10-£18 million and now it has been confirmed that the young star will now see action in another loan-out likely to happen this coming season.
Despite his high rating upon arrival, Santos is yet to make his Chelsea debut.
He was sent on loan to Nottingham Forest for the first half of last season, but he made only two appearances before being recalled.
Chelsea then dispatched him to Strasbourg, a French club owned by Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.
He was very impressive there and received the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Month award in March.
It was claimed in June that Chelsea had no plans to allow the 20-year-old midfielder to leave Stamford Bridge again.
The club felt that he would be a good fit for the new manager Enzo Maresca’s style of play. But new plans have seen Chelsea loan Santos back to Strasbourg for the 2024/25 season.
This decision, however, does not affect Chelsea’s high regard for Santos, who the club still views as one of the men to hold great promise for the future.
A number of other European clubs were interested in buying Santos as well, including Borussia Dortmund.
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Santos will not immediately link up with Strasbourg but will instead join Chelsea for their pre-season tour of the USA, starting with Thursday’s match against Wrexham in San Francisco.
He will have some publicity and experience in that tour before going to France.
The next season will be with new management at Strasbourg.
Liam Rosenior replaces Patrick Vieira, who was fired after only one season in charge.
Rosenior, strangely dismissed by Hull after guiding them to seventh place in the Championship, has already spoken about his plans with Santos.
Although this decision may seem to be a step back in the short term, this decision to loan Santos back to Strasbourg can actually prove to be a strategic move; it keeps him playing regularly to continue his development.
Chelsea’s long-term vision for Santos has not been damaged by any degree, with the loan spell viewed as a chance for him to get experience and come back stronger.
While Andrey Santos’ immediate future involves another loan spell at Strasbourg, Chelsea still retains faith in his potential and value for their future plans.
The pre-season tour in the USA will give him a real opportunity to make a point and further integrate into the Chelsea setup before going back to France for another season of development.
