Chelsea made transfer U-turn on ‘special’ prospect last summer that they must now regret massively

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Chelsea were busy over the summer transfer window as they looked to finetune their squad for the new manager ahead of his first Premier League job.

Enzo Maresca has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Stamford Bridge, albeit with the last four games not seeing them pick up a single win.

Injuries are beginning to take their tole on what many saw as a stacked first team squad, with the defence in particular being hit hard.

• READ MORE: Enzo Maresca says when Romeo Lavia could be back for Chelsea after missing Crystal Palace draw

While neither of Enzo Fernandez or Moises Caicedo have picked up any real issues as of yet, they have not really been afforded a rest as of late because of the lack of depth there.

Romeo Lavia has been unable to make regular appearances due to injuries, and Maresca clearly has little faith in the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka to make an impact.

Chelsea surely regretting Andrey Santos U-turn

Chelsea are crying out for another competent midfield option, and one of those who is impressing in world football is Andrey Santos, a player who is already on their books.

The Blues looked as if they were going to keep him as part of their first team this season, however performed a U-turn and sent Santos on loan to Strasbourg for the second time.

Chelsea reportedly see Santos as a ‘special’ player, and they no doubt have plans to include him in the future. However, they will be left asking if they could have capitalised earlier.

How is Andrey Santos doing at Strasbourg?

Santos has been named in the U21 Team of the Season so far in Europe, and has even been named captain of his loan club in recent times.

Chelsea should certainly be considering recalling Santos from his loan away, however they could have avoided the need to do this by keeping him at the club in the first place.

There would have been plenty of opportunities for the Brazilian to feature in the Conference League, building up his ability to feature more regularly in the Premier League.

Fernandez and Caicedo are beginning to look tired after playing all of the minutes in the busy festive period, and even though Lavia is close to returning, his fitness cannot be guaranteed at any stage.