CHELSEA fans are calling for forgotten man Andrey Santos to be recalled from his loan at Strasbourg.
The defensive midfielder has put in a number of eye-catching displays in Ligue 1 this season.
Santos joined the Blues in January 2023 for £11million after starring for Brazil at the U20 World Cup.
The 20-year-old was shipped out on loan to Nottingham Forest, before landing at Chelsea’s partner club Strasbourg in the summer.
He has since been made skipper at the Stade de la Meinau and is enjoying a superb season.
Football data gurus SofaScore indicate Santos has not been rated lower than a 7/10 in any Ligue 1 game this term.
He has netted seven goals from midfield, dominating teams with his tenacious tackling and passing range.
Some Chelsea fans are now demanding the club recall Santos early from his loan and slot him into the team alongside Moises Caicedo.
One fan on X begged: “Bring back Andrey Santos and sign any short term box crashing striker and we go on the nuttiest 11 game win streak. ASAP. Do it now.”
Another said: “Andrey Santos is top of Ligue 1 for ball recoveries (90). Bring him back.”
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While a third simply demanded: “Bring Andrey Santos back asap.”
And a fourth added: “Easily the best CDM in the league and top 5 in Europe this season.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Chelsea new-boy Andrey Santos scores late winner as Brazil U20s clinch South American Championship to take tally to SIX” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6320320576112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Chelsea have stumbled over the festive period after going on a terrific run through November and early December.
They are winless in four games, stuttering to a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D101719%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]With the January window now open, reports suggest the club are ready to move on from another wonderkid.
Cesare Casadei was signed in 2022 from Inter Milan in a deal worth £12.6m after he was touted for big things.
He spent time on loan at Reading and Leicester before being recalled to the Blues squad in January 2024.
Boss Enzo Maresca decided to keep Casadei after taking over in the summer, but Casadei has struggled for gametime this season.
Casadei has reportedly agreed to join Torino back home in Italy.
A deal between the two clubs is now being thrashed out – believed to be in the region of £10m.
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