It is going to be very interesting to see what kind of season Emmanuel Emegha has at Chelsea if he is integrated into Xabi Alonso’s first-team squad.
Emegha has talent, but the previous campaign was quite a disappointing one for him. The striker missed a lot of games because of injuries, while his relationship with the club’s supporters completely broke down following the announcement of his move to Chelsea.
It is a fresh start for him now, and the 23-year-old will want to settle in quickly at his new club.
His former Strasbourg teammate Andrey Santos could help him to do that, but there is obviously one issue.
Emmanuel Emegha unlikely to get chance to play alongside Andrey Santos next season
Unfortunately for Emegha, it does not look like Santos will be at Chelsea next season to help him settle.
Santos wants to be a starter, a role that Alonso is unable to offer him, meaning that the midfielder is likely to leave Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United want to sign Santos, who is not on Chelsea’s list of untouchable players.
How would you rank Chelsea’s so-called “untouchables” ahead of the new season?
Here is The Chelsea Chronicle's list!
7. Josh Acheampong
6. Estevao Willian
5. Levi Colwill
4. Moises Caicedo
3. Joao Pedro
2. Reece James
1. Cole Palmer
At Strasbourg, Emegha and Santos shared the pitch on 35 occasions. According to Transfermarkt, they had two joint-goal participations.
Ultimately, having Santos around would help Emegha to embed quicker, but the Dutchman must now prepare for the possibility of going into the 2026/27 campaign without having the support of the Brazilian.
Emegha could still be loaned out, as Chelsea have Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Marc Guiu and Nicolas Jackson as other centre-forward options.
Alonso is set to have a look at Jackson before a decision is made on his future, which means he could stay and push Emegha out as a result.
But if Emegha is part of Alonso’s first-team plans, he would surely appreciate having Santos around to help him make the transition from Strasbourg to Chelsea.
Emegha, Jackson and Santos, keep your eyes on all three players, as they could each be big stories at Chelsea this summer.
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