The former Leicester City custodian has had a hectic eight months in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge, going from possible Premier League championship contenders to desperately trying to hold onto their top four credentials.
In addition to managing the task at hand and the Blues’ structure, he has had to keep an eye on a number of players, ranging from the youthful Alfie Gilchrist to the more seasoned Raheem Sterling, all of whom are playing elsewhere in 2024–2025.
Among them is Andrey Santos of Strasbourg, who is scheduled to rejoin Chelsea in the summer as part of their roster preparations for the upcoming year. For his employer’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign, the 20-year-old will also be prepared.
Santos, a former Brazil international, has been a mainstay in the French team’s engine room this season. He recently put on one of his best performances against Olympique Lyonnais, who have advanced far into the Europa League’s closing rounds.
Santos’ Performance Against Lyon, a Europa League hopeful
In his 11 ground battles, the young Brazilian prevailed seven times.
In actuality, Santos, who was born and reared in Rio de Janeiro, has rarely been stationed in the heart of Southampton-affiliated Liam Rosenior’s activities in the Grand Est region of France since the beginning of the season.
He has contributed 13 goals (ten goals and three assists) in 27 appearances in all competitions, with the exception of two Ligue 1 games. In his most recent performance against Lyon, he scored again.
The petite Brazilian, who was positioned in the middle close to Valentin Barco, a loanee from Brighton & Hove Albion, screened across the back four with ease and managed to keep players like Rayan Cherki and Corentin Tolisso hidden for most of the match.
The video below demonstrates how the youthful and somewhat inexperienced midfielder was content to receive the ball under duress before launching balls to the right or left, inviting the Lyon players to overcommit.
In addition to passing the sight test, Strasbourg’s engine room enforcer’s statistics attest to his overall performance on Friday night at the Stade de la Meinau. He recorded 47 touches and helped his team win the league for the fourth time in a row.
It is not surprising that the Chelsea loanee excels defensively given that he is expected to serve as Strasbourg’s lynchpin; in fact, he won seven of his 11 ground duels against Lyon as his team’s main ground-eater.
The youthful player also recorded two interceptions, three tackles, and the same number of clearances. He is also a line-breaking presence in the engine room, as seen by his 88% pass accuracy rate (28/32).
Chelsea Fans Compare Santos to Michael Essien
‘One of the best midfielders in Ligue 1’
Born in 2004 Big things were expected of the all-action midfielder when Santos joined Chelsea from Vasco da Gama in January 2023. However, he returned to the Brazilian team on loan from March to June 2023 before moving to Nottingham Forest.
He made just two appearances at the City Ground. Unable to find a string of games at the Garibaldi, a move to Strasbourg, Chelsea’s sister club, which could have defined his career, beckoned. In actuality, that’s where his best play has been discovered.
Santos, Caicedo, and Lavia: League Statistics for 24/25
Metric
Santos
Caicedo
Lavia
Looks
25
29
8(3)
Objectives/Helps
9/1
Half a
0/1
The percentage of passes
88.3
90.2
92.1
Wins in aerials per game
1.2
0.9
0.6
Each game’s tackles
3.5
2.9
1.5
Clearances for each game
2.2
1.2
0.5
Each game’s worth of interceptions
0.9
1.4
One
Total score
7.36
6.97
6.42
The Stamford Bridge supporters are eager to see him return to the west of the English city, as his move to Strasbourg in February 2024 has partially demonstrated to them why he was such a sought-after talent prior to his move to Chelsea.
Santos is positioned next to Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in the Chelsea midfield that one fan has already visualised for the next season. “Can’t wait to see you ball alongside Enzo and Caicedo next season,” they wrote with pure joy.
“Andrey Santos gave Strasbourg another outstanding performance against Lyon tonight.” Ball recoveries, duels won, and another goal (his ninth in the league so far this season). One of Ligue 1’s top midfield players. Chelsea has a unique gift.
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