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Chelsea fans begin to worry about talented midfielder’s lack of playing time

By Evan Curnew

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 30: Andrey Santos of Nottingham Forest challenges for the ball with Nathan Redmond of Burnley during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Nottingham Forest and Burnley at City Ground on August 30, 2023 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 30: Andrey Santos of Nottingham Forest challenges for the ball with Nathan Redmond of Burnley during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Nottingham Forest and Burnley at City Ground on August 30, 2023 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea saw a massive overhaul of their transfer strategy recently, which has seen a large influx of young players signed. Some players are so young that they actually are not ready to play for Chelsea and have left elsewhere for playing time. These players are deemed as projects for the future with the hopes that the talented players reach their full potential. One of the players Chelsea has deemed “one for the future” is Andrey Santos.

The 2004-born midfielder officially signed for Chelsea this past January, but Santos was loaned back to Brazilian side Vasco da Gama until this summer. After playing in pre-season under Mauricio Pochettino, Andrey Santos ultimately found himself on the outside looking in after the Blues signed Lesley Ugochukwu, Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo for the midfield. The congestion allowed Andrey Santos to get a move away on loan.

After being coveted by the likes of Porto and Benfica on a season-long loan, Santos made his way to City Park this summer, linking up with Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forrest.

The best way to describe Andrey Santos’ time so far at Nottingham Forest is concerning. The player has yet to play a single minute for the Reds in the Premier League. In fact, he’s not played minutes since August, when he started against Burnley in an EFL Cup loss. Santos has not even regularly made the bench for Forest, sometimes completely missing out on being in the squad despite no injury issues.

Chelsea fans are not starting to get concerned that Santos’ move to Forest has not paid off. Some are even calling for him to be recalled already.

It is true that Andrey Santos is far down on Forest’s depth chart, which has pushed the player into an uncomfortable position. His top competition is fighting Ibrahim Sangare for the defensive midfield spot. Given the price Nottingham played for Sangare and the performances he’s capable of giving, it is hard to see where Andrey Santos will find time to play. This situation looks like it could be heading to a winter recall after all.

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