Andrey Santos incredibly tops one statistic at the Club World Cup, he’s so ready for Chelsea breakthrough

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It feels like Andrey Santos is ready to break into Chelsea’s first-team squad next season after benefitting massively from time out on loan.

Even though Chelsea confirmed the signing of Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama in January 2023, everyone has had to be patient with his development.

The 21-year-old midfielder, who’s had numerous spells away from Stamford Bridge on loan, finally appears to be in the Blues’ first-team plans. He’s made his first few senior appearances in Chelsea colours at this summer’s Club World Cup, where the team have reached the final.

Reports claim that Santos will be part of Enzo Maresca’s squad next season, where he’ll add even more strength in the centre of the park. At the moment, the Brazilian star could compete for a central midfield position alongside teammates such as Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo.

• READ MORE: Moises Caicedo hints he could be about to form great partnership with Andrey Santos which Chelsea fans will love

Andrey Santos tops tackling statistic at the Club World Cup

So far this summer, Santos has played in three of Chelsea’s six games at the Club World Cup en route to the final. This included a standout performance in the quarter-final victory against Palmeiras.

Even though Blues head coach Maresca thinks Santos needs time adjusting to Chelsea’s group, he’s starting to trust the youngster as the tournament progresses.

One extremely encouraging statistic has now emerged about the young talent, which really highlights his defensive qualities.

As seen above, Chelsea’s Santos is registering the most successful tackles per 90 at the Club World Cup. He’s certainly made the most of just 115 minutes in the tournament so far.

It should strike fear into opposition teams that the Blues can add a midfield enforcer like Santos to destroyers such as Caicedo and Lavia

Expect Andrey Santos to be key next season

During the 2024/25 campaign, Santos proved during a season-long loan with Strasbourg that he’s the complete midfielder. He scored 11 goals and created five assists in 34 games across all competitions for them.

The Chelsea star definitely has an eye for goal and an attacking edge that makes him a great alternative to Fernandez as a box-to-box option.

Alternatively, Santos is an aggressive midfielder who has the defensive knack to cover for in deeper midfield positions as well.

Of course, Chelsea fans will hope Caicedo is fit to play in Sunday’s Club World Cup final despite a late injury in the semi-final. If he’s unavailable, we’d love to see Santos get an opportunity to play the biggest game of his career to date.

It’s no surprise that Santos has attracted transfer interest from major European clubs, but Chelsea need to make him an important part of their squad plans because he’s too good to let fall through the cracks.