Exclusive: Chelsea hold talks over bringing back 'outstanding' midfielder in final days of the window
02/01/2025 07:15 AM
TBR Football can exclusively reveal that Chelsea have held internal talks about whether they should recall Andrey Santos from his loan at sister club Strasbourg before Monday.
Enzo Maresca has made it clear to the club’s hierarchy that he wants them to bolster their midfield options this month.
The Blues allowed Renato Veiga to leave on loan to Juventus, who provided some midfield cover whilst both Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka could leave.
Meanwhile, Romeo Lavia is out for a few weeks with a thing injury and the Italian manager is currently short for options in the middle of the pitch.
Chelsea thinking about recalling Andrey Santos
Andrey Santos is one of the names Chelsea have discussed in the hunt for a new midfielder and they are now working on possible options, sources have told TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey.
Chelsea have been delighted with Santos’ progress on loan at Strasbourg with the midfielder having notched eight goals and two assists this term.
The 20-year-old also impressed in Ligue 1 towards the end of last season having had his unsuccessful loan spell at Nottingham Forest cut short.
But TBR Football has been told that there is an internal split at Stamford Bridge between Santos finishing the season at Strasbourg or being brought back for the second half of the season.
Some at the West London club believe that Santos could make a major impact and is better than some of the options the club are looking at.
What positions could Andrey Santos fill at Chelsea
Santos would offer Chelsea two different midfield roles having played as a number eight and as a holding midfielder for Strasbourg.
| Positions | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| Defensive midfield | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| Central midfield | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | 19 | 8 | 2 |
The youngster has become a key player for the French outfit under manager Liam Rosenior who believes he will have an “outstanding career”.
Rosenior’s team have been in great form and are now six games unbeaten, climbing into the top half of the French top flight with Santos playing a big part.
Despite playing as a central midfielder, he has netted eight times whilst registering two assists in 19 appearances across all competitions.
