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 can even be at Chelsea in any respect.
Some quotes from Santos this week had me considering and questioning. He’s picked up on the blockages in entrance of him at Chelsea, and people blockages aren’t 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 needed to maintain him.
“Chelsea needed me to remain final season, it was my choice to go and play,” Santos advised 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 needed 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 will have been for him.
So why would this season be any totally different?
Enzo and Caicedo aren’t going anyplace any time quickly, are they? And so they aren’t going to be rested too typically both, with each gamers costing the membership £100m+ and any supervisor will principally HAVE to play them each manner most of the time.
Enzo is 23, and Caicedo is 22 – each are on lengthy contracts.
Then you’ve 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 likely 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 totally 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 truthfully see Enzo, Caicedo, or Lavia being rested in Europe aside from within the earlier and simpler video games? Regardless that it’s The Convention League, Chelsea wish to win it, and the supervisor might want to do all he can to win it. Gamers will wish to play in it.
Chelsea additionally wish to, and desperately have to, qualify for the Champions League this season for monetary causes greater than the rest.
The home cups might 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, paradoxically) rising star is it? It would find yourself being a wasted season of growth, lots like what has occurred with Carney Chukwuemeka (granted he was additionally injured lots). 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 considering? What occurs to Carns now?
We can not 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 wish to play, they NEED to play. And this leads us to the broader challenge of signing all of those prime younger abilities.
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 presently what we are attempting to do with Omari Hutchinson, who SPTC sources have confirmed we’re pushing for £30m to promote him this summer time, however certainly gamers like Santos want a pathway? However there isn’t a pathway, it’s properly and really blocked.
Possibly promoting Gallagher would current extra of a pathway and real possibilities of rather more minutes for Santos this season, however it’s not even clear in the intervening time if that can occur. And will that even occur anyway? I do know lots of you wish to preserve Gallagher and assume it might 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’re going to face loads of competitors for locations. To achieve success you want deep choices. If a participant really backs himself then they need to simply put belief in their very own skill and keep within the squad, proper? Combat 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 not too long ago signed too, however that’s one other debate proper there.
It could be the case of if you happen to’re ok then you definately’ll play, however it’s a unique story when stated participant has three gamers forward of him that the membership closely invested over £250m in signing and they’re going to be taking part in in at the very least 90% of the video games, they merely need to. What probabilities do you’ve then of getting in forward of them? Take into consideration that.
It does make me marvel what Santos and his advisors will resolve to do that season. Possibly Maresca provides him some sport time? Possibly the membership give him sufficient reassurances. However can they honestly stick 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 wish to signal the highest gamers earlier than they get too costly and perhaps that may be good – however every little thing wants steadiness and gamers have to see pathways. I’ve not even talked about our personal academy on this article, and once more, that’s one other large challenge. We are able to’t simply merely say in the event that they’re ok then they’ll make it, it’s far more advanced than that. All the things have to be about steadiness, and every little thing about Chelsea’s operations proper now lack that.
