There isn’t a doubt in any respect that Andrey Santos is a prime footballer and has an enormous future, however I’m questioning whether or not that may even be at Chelsea in any respect.
Some quotes from Santos this week had me pondering and questioning. He’s picked up on the blockages in entrance of him at Chelsea, and people blockages will not be about to be unblocked any time quickly.
Santos revealed it was HIS choice to go on mortgage final summer time, and it was Chelsea who wished to maintain him.
“Chelsea wished me to remain final season, it was my choice to go and play,” Santos informed Fora do Jogo on YouTube.
“I did very properly within the pre-season however I noticed that there was Enzo [Fernandez] and [Moises] Caicedo, and I wished to play and have minutes. So I made a decision along with my household to exit on mortgage.”
Are you able to think about if he stayed by the way in which? What a waste of a season that may have been for him.
So why would this season be any completely different?
Enzo and Caicedo aren’t going anyplace any time quickly, are they? They usually aren’t going to be rested too usually both, with each gamers costing the membership £100m+ and any supervisor will principally HAVE to play them each method as a rule.
Enzo is 23, and Caicedo is 22 – each are on lengthy contracts.
Photograph by Marc Atkins/Getty Pictures
Then you might have Romeo Lavia and Conor Gallagher. Lavia is simply 20 and can also be on an extended deal at Chelsea. He spent a lot of final season out injured, however SPTC sources have heard from his camp that he will probably be prepared for pre-season and is in prime situation forward of the brand new season and he’s hopeful to have the ability to keep absolutely match to be that necessary participant that Enzo Maresca sees him as a part of his new setup he’s constructing tactically.
So the place does Santos slot in? Does he simply play cup video games? Will that be sufficient? Are you able to actually see Enzo, Caicedo, or Lavia being rested in Europe apart from within the earlier and simpler video games? Although it’s The Convention League, Chelsea need to win it, and the supervisor might want to do all he can to win it. Gamers will need to play in it.
Chelsea additionally need to, and desperately must, qualify for the Champions League this season for monetary causes greater than anything.
The home cups may current extra alternatives for minutes for the likes of Santos, IF he stays, however that’s not going to be sufficient for a 20-year-old (similar age as Lavia, mockingly) rising star is it?
It can find yourself being a wasted season of growth, rather a lot like what has occurred with Carney Chukwuemeka (granted he was additionally injured rather a lot). We’re now signing Omari Kellyman from Aston Villa for a ridiculous £19m, a participant who performs in the identical place and is greatest in the identical areas as Chukwuemeka, what’s the pondering? What occurs to Carns now?
We can’t merely simply put these younger gamers in our squad and provides them odd minutes within the home cups. That won’t suffice, and Santos’ quotes and choice final summer time has actually simply confirmed that. They need to play, they NEED to play. And this leads us to the broader challenge of signing all of those prime younger skills.
What number of of them will ever truly play for Chelsea or have a future right here? Sure, it’s nice if we then find yourself promoting them on for a revenue which is at the moment what we try to do with Omari Hutchinson, who SPTC sources have confirmed we’re pushing for £30m to promote him this summer time, however absolutely gamers like Santos want a pathway? However there is no such thing as a pathway, it’s properly and actually blocked.
Possibly promoting Gallagher would current extra of a pathway and real possibilities of way more minutes for Santos this season, but it surely’s not even clear in the meanwhile if that may occur. And will that even occur anyway? I do know lots of you need to preserve Gallagher and suppose it could be silly to promote him.
However Santos’ feedback have involved me a bit and have made me look a bit extra on the wider challenge of signing up all these prime younger prospects. I do know Chelsea need two prime gamers in each place within the first group squad and there may be definitely advantages to that – most prime golf equipment do it. And sure, at any prime membership you’ll face loads of competitors for locations. To achieve success you want deep choices.
If a participant actually backs himself then they need to simply put belief in their very own capability and keep within the squad, proper? Battle for a spot? In the event that they’re ok they’ll play? Michael Olise coming in would have introduced query marks for the numerous younger proper wingers we now have additionally just lately signed too, however that’s one other debate proper there.
It might be the case of when you’re ok you then’ll play, but it surely’s a unique story when stated participant has three gamers forward of him that the membership closely invested over £250m in signing and they’ll be taking part in in no less than 90% of the video games, they merely need to. What possibilities do you might have then of getting in forward of them? Take into consideration that.
It does make me surprise what Santos and his advisors will resolve to do that season. Possibly Maresca provides him some recreation time? Possibly the membership give him sufficient reassurances. However can they honestly keep on with their phrase there? I extremely doubt that.
I do know this goes for a lot of gamers at Chelsea proper now in addition to Santos, and the way in which Chelsea are working with signing so many youth gamers simply appears unsustainable in a morale and squad sense, however maybe sustainable in a monetary and worthwhile sense.
I get we need to signal the highest gamers earlier than they get too costly and possibly that may be sensible – however every thing wants stability and gamers must see pathways. I’ve not even talked about our personal academy on this article, and once more, that’s one other large challenge.
We will’t simply merely say in the event that they’re ok then they’ll make it, it’s far more advanced than that. Every little thing have to be about stability, and every thing about Chelsea’s operations proper now lack that.
