Chelsea’s new January signing Andrey Santos has quickly made an impression on the Premier League club, despite not making his debut.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues think that the midfielder is a “proper gem”.
Andrey’s move to Stamford Bridge came after a late transfer twist, with the midfielder nearly joining Newcastle United instead.
Indeed, according to Graeme Bailey, Newcastle genuinely ‘thought they had’ signed Andrey at one point, but he ended up at Chelsea instead.
Andrey’s form for Brazil’s U20 team has been catching the eye. In four appearances, the young star has scored four goals, further cementing his reputation as a player to watch in the coming years.
Chelsea’s decision to sign Andrey was rather surprising in January, given that Todd Boehly has been signing superstars, and this young man was not a household name by any stretch of the imagination.
However, Chelsea are also investing in youth players such as Carney Chukwuemeka and David Datro Fofana and they look to have uncovered a diamond in Andrey Santos.
Given Andrey’s early form for Brazil’s U20s and the fact he is impressing some at Chelsea, it’s clear that he is a player to keep an eye out for.
The fact that he was close to signing for Newcastle before making the move to Chelsea is a bitter pill to swallow for Magpies fans, especially as he’s now potentially going to become a star for one of their top-four rivals.
It’s too early to say what kind of impact Andrey will have at Chelsea, but the signs so far are promising. With the young Brazilian showing so much potential, it’s likely that we will be hearing a lot more about this player in the coming years, and we may look back at Newcastle’s near-miss as one of the most painful in recent history.
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