Deivid Washington officially re-joins Santos on a loan until the end of the year.
Joining the Blues
Deivid joined Chelsea in August 2023, and despite the club spending €20 million on the youngster, he has made only three appearances for the senior team. He was also listed for the Carabao Cup game against Burrow.
After his move to Strasbourg fell through in the last transfer window, he has primarily played for the youth team.
However, despite limited game time, he managed to secure a trophy to his name by winning the U-20 South American Championship while representing Brazil on February 17th.
Back to Santos
With this loan, Deivid will have the opportunity to play alongside Neymar, who also returned to Santos during the January transfer window after terminating his contract with Al Hilal.
As the Brazilian League runs from the end of March to December, Santos was given the option to buy him back permanently at the end of the year. However, Chelsea has also included a ‘break’ clause, allowing the Blues to recall Washington when the English transfer window opens in the summer.
Chelsea Striker crisis
The decision to loan out a striker, especially with Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu unavailable, was a bold move despite Washington’s lack of experience. Additionally, the club isn’t necessarily gaining much from the loan, considering the amount paid to bring him in only to send him out again.
When asked about any second thoughts because of the injuries that hit the club, Enzo Maresco responded that the club would still go ahead with the deal.
"“No. He is in talks.”"Enzo Maresca on loan talks
Washington is still a very young and inexperienced player and it's unlikely he would have featured much anyway, but it's an interesting decision to let a potential strikey fill-in leave the club.