The news that Chelsea are set to sell Andrey Santos is a major indicator that Xabi Alonso is looking to shift the Blues into a three-at-the-back system.
Chelsea are set to make a tidy profit on Santos when he completes his £50m move to Manchester United this summer, although will leave the Blues light in midfield.
Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, and a wantaway Enzo Fernandez are currently the only options in the position for the club.
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Alonso does see Reece James as a midfielder, and many speculated that signing Marco Palestra as a wing-back was an indicator that the skipper was going to move regularly into the heart of midfield.
Chelsea are expected to sign at least one new midfielder this summer, but with them unlikely to have six options by the end of the transfer window, they look set to move into a back three system for next season.
The 3-4-3 which Alonso used at Bayer Leverkusen featured just Granit Xhaka and Exequiel Palacios in central midfield, with them getting support from the wing-backs and three centre-backs behind them.
Santos would have struggled in a midfield two. His physical attributes let him down, and Alonso is targeting a taller and stronger midfielder, shown by his desire to sign Xhaka.
In Caicedo and Fernandez, Chelsea have a nice balance of winning the ball and breaking the lines, although that partnership continuing all depends on Real Madrid’s interest in the Argentine.
As of now, the Spanish giants are unwilling to do business at the extortionate price which Chelsea have placed on him.
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There was plenty of excitement built up over what Santos could bring the Blues when he was on loan at Strasbourg however this translated to them winning just five Premier League games when he started.
Chelsea are no longer in a position to pull rank over their manager in how the first team should be playing next season, and should be making transfers based on how Alonso sees them working.
It is clear that Santos doesn’t feature here, and also looks clear that there will be a change of formation at Stamford Bridge for next season.
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