Chelsea youngster Andrey Santos has come up in conversation during talks between Mauricio Pochettino and the club, according to reports.
Mauricio Pochettino, 51, is the coach strongly linked with becoming Chelsea’s next permanent manager.
The Times claims that Chelsea are closing in on appointing Pochettino as their next boss. They do say the Blues recruitment staff have not reached a consensus yet, though.
If the Argentine does arrive at Stamford Bridge, Blues youngsters should be excited by the idea of working with someone with a great track record of developing rising stars.
We’ve already heard from journalist Rob Pratley that 20-year-old Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill could be a big part of the plans under Pochettino.
Now, Andrey Santos is another Blues prospect tipped to become a possible future star under Pochettino.
Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed on his Substack that Pochettino has been speaking with the Chelsea board about the academy players that could soon make the first-team squad with him at the helm.
He mentions that Levi Colwill is seen as one of their elite players who can be crucial moving forward.
In addition, Santos’ name has been mentioned during these talks.
The 18-year-old is yet to make his Chelsea debut at any level since signing from Vasco da Gama in January, returning to the Brazilian club on a short-term loan.
Could he be offered a route into the Blues first team by Pochettino a lot sooner than expected, though?
We are yet to see Santos in action in England, so it’s a complete unknown on how good he actually is.
However, making your senior debut for Brazil at the age of 18 is quite a big indicator of his talent.
The box-to-box central midfielder was a talisman for Brazilian’s youth team as they clinched the Under-20s South American Championship earlier this year.
In addition, ESPN names Santos as one of the world’s best footballers aged 21 or under.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
