Chelsea take CONTROVERSIAL wonderkid decision
Robin Bairner
- 25 Aug 2023 06:43 BST
- 4 min read
Chelsea are set to loan out Andrey Santos to Nottingham Forest, despite the new arrival impressing so far at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have spent a world-record amount of €400 million during this transfer window, with a significant focus having been on the defensive midfield area. They have captured Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia as well as Andrey Santos, with the former two ahead of the Brazilian in the pecking order.
The 19-year-old arrived in the summer from Vasco da Gama and caught the eye in preseason for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
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Although he made the bench for the opening Premier League match of the season against Liverpool, he was not in the matchday squad for the 3-1 loss against West Ham – a match that Caicedo made his debut for the club in.
With Lavia now closing in on his Chelsea bow, Pochettino is willing to loan Andrey Silva out, despite the club’s initial plan to integrate him into the first team.
Rather than send him to sister club Strasbourg in Ligue 1, the Blues have taken the decision to give Andrey Santos Premier League experience with Nottingham Forest, The Times reports. At the City Ground, he should earn extensive game time in England’s top flight.
It is thought that the player would be limited in terms of his first-team exposure in the Chelsea squad after they surprisingly bought both Caicedo and Lavia, which was not their initial plan.
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Chelsea still in Johnson talks
Although Nottingham Forest had been in discussions with Chelsea over attacker Brennan Johnson, this deal bears no relationship to that one.
Tottenham are also active in terms of signing the Wales international, who would be considered a surprise arrival at Stamford Bridge, despite the Blues being in the market for another attacking player.
So desperate is Chelsea’s need for another forward following an injury to Christopher Nkunku, Pochettino is willing to open talks with wantaway star Romelu Lukaku over being reintegrated into the first team.
