Chelsea believe they have signed a “proper gem” in Andrey Santos as the midfielder shines in the Sudamericano Sub-20 with Brazil, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk have caught the most attention among Chelsea January signings, and their huge price tags certainly play a big part.
The Blues, however, also brought in a few players, who, while they are unlikely to play significant roles the first team this season, are arguably just as talented as the aforementioned pair, including Santos.
The 18-year-old joined the Blues early in January from Brazilian side Vasco da Gama on a reported seven-and-a-half-year contract.
The plan for him for the second half of the season remains unclear at the moment since rather than forcing him to find a loan move, for example, Chelsea actually allowed him to take part in the South American U-20 championship in Colombia.
This might have been the right decision.
The young centre-midfielder has had a strong campaign and has the second-highest goals in the tournament with four goals from four appearances, only behind his compatriot Vitor Roque.
According to Romano, Chelsea are unsurprisingly ecstatic about his performance have high hopes for the youngster.
“Chelsea are convinced they’ve signed a proper gem as Andrey Santos has now scored 4 goals in 4 games for Brazil U20 in the Sudamericano Sub-20,” the Italian journalist wrote on Twitter.
The tournament will reach its conclusion in mid-February, after which Chelsea will have to make a decision on whether to let him stay in the development squad or integrate him into the first team straight away, although, for the latter, a work permit could still prove an issue.
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