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News
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'Best player in the world' already regrets Chelsea transfer decision
14 Sep 2026 04:52 CDT |
4 min read
Analysis
Andrey Santos remains one of the most shrewd signings of the BlueCo era at Chelsea, but his career at Stamford Bridge didn’t exactly go as planned.
Signed from Vasco da Gama for a measly €12.5 million in January 2023, Santos established himself as one of the most promising young midfielders in world football during a hugely impressive loan spell at Strasbourg and he was expected to play a prominent role at Chelsea last season.
However, the Brazil international only started 13 Premier League matches in 2025-26 and while he caught the eye with a number of performances throughout the campaign, he was unable to cement his place in Chelsea’s best starting XI.
Current ETV
Andrey Santos
DM, M (C)
Andrey Santos
DM, M (C)
Man Utd
ETV Range
€36M - €43.9M
With Enzo Fernandez openly flirting with Real Madrid ahead of the summer window, Santos was tipped for a promotion ahead of this season, but he opted to push for an exit and Chelsea had no interest in blocking a sale after receiving a €56.3 million offer from Manchester United.
However, the man who was once dubbed ‘the best player in the world’ by Diego Moreira at Strasbourg may already be regretting his decision to leave Chelsea.
Andrey Santos is already a back-up at Man Utd
Santos arrived at Man Utd as their first signing of the summer window and despite his obvious talent, it looked like a strange move at the time given the similarities between himself and Kobbie Mainoo.
The subsequent deal for Youri Tielemans was equally confusing, with all three stars sharing several of the same traits, while the Red Devils then added Carlos Baleba to their roster in order to bolster the mobility of their midfield.
The Cameroon international is yet to make his Man Utd debut due to injury, but he is expected to play a key role for the club once he returns to full fitness and this spells trouble for Santos, who is already behind Mainoo and Tielemans in the pecking order.
After starting the opening day defeat to Hull City, Santos was demoted to the substitutes bench against Ipswich Town and he has been unable to force his way back into Michael Carrick’s thinking ever since.
The Brazilian has played just 42 minutes across Man Utd’s last four matches and he was an unused substitute during their 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the derby on Sunday afternoon.
He left Chelsea to play regularly, but has found his path to regular football blocked once again and there is little to suggest that Michael Carrick will demote either Tielemans or Mainoo to accommodate Santos while Baleba remains on the treatment table.
He would’ve been a regular at Chelsea
While Santos was a bit-part player for Chelsea last season, the Blues’ current midfield situation suggests that he would’ve begun this campaign as a guaranteed starter if he had stayed at the club.
Of course, the Blues opted to sell the Brazilian to Man Utd after finalising an agreement to sign Strasbourg midfielder Valentin Barco, however an injury to Moises Caicedo has severely impacted Chelsea’s start to the season, especially since the sale of Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City.
STATS
Roméo Lavia
DM, M (C)
Chelsea
Roméo Lavia
DM, M (C)
Chelsea
Reece James and Romeo Lavia have been Alonso’s favoured midfield pivot so far this term, and while they are both great on their day, they don’t appear well-suited to playing alongside each other in the middle of the park.
So, there is significant scope to suggest that Santos would’ve played a prominent role during the early weeks of the season if he’d stuck it out at Stamford Bridge, but he opted to leave instead and it’s a decision that he will no doubt already be regretting given his current standing in the Man Utd pecking order.
