Are Chelsea angling to bring back highly rated loanee?

In the final days of this recent summer transfer window, Chelsea loaned out highly rated Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos to Nottingham Forest. The Blues hierarchy and even more so the fanbase, are currently lamenting that decision as Santos has yet to register a single Premier League minute for Forest. The young Brazilian has struggled for playing time in this Steve Cooper side due to the bulk of senior midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order including Ibrahima Sangare, Orel Mangala, and Nicolas Dominguez. As a result, calls for CFC to recall their prized young talent back to Stamford Bridge in January have gained momentum and the move appears more imperative.

Are Chelsea angling to bring back highly rated loanee?

According to the Athletic’s Liam Twomey, Chelsea are capable of recalling Andrey Santos back from loan in January due to a break clause in his loan agreement. Nottingham Forest would also incur financial penalties for not guaranteeing Santos minutes during his loan. It is reported that CFC are currently monitoring the situation and Forest still have a little more than a dozen league games left before the year’s end.

However, the damage may already be done. The Blues should consider cutting their losses and admitting their mistake.  Out of a possible three matches that Santos was available to feature in the league for Forest, he made zero appearances and was left out of the squad by Steve Cooper on one occasion against Manchester City. The Athletic also reported that fans saw the young Brazilian leave the stadium early during Forest’s last Premier league draw against Brentford. The effects of not playing when expecting opportunities will have definitely taken a hit to Santos’ confidence. In an ideal world, he begins to gain a lot of game time in Forest’s upcoming fixtures. However, it’s hard to look past all the other midfielders in the squad that Steve Cooper obviously rates higher than the youngster.

If Chelsea are to recall Andrey Santos in January, the question remains what to do with him? Staying with the Blues squad for the rest of the season is an option but also a massive risk. Unless the CFC injury bug begins to affect our midfield core even more and one or more of the likes of Conor Gallagher, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are no longer at Mauricio Pochettino’s disposal, Santos is not any better off at Stamford Bridge yet. Hence, if possible, another loan should be lined up for him to get much needed experience under his belt. He could join fellow Brazilian Angelo Gabriel at Chelsea feeder club Racing Strasbourg in Ligue 1.

Some of the reported teams that were also interested in the Brazil U20 captain include Lyon, Porto and Benfica, all more favorable destinations than remaining with the Tricky Trees. Should Chels‘ recall Andrey Santos from loan?