Todd Boehly is a huge admirer of one Chelsea star, but fans have not seen the hype yet at this stage of the campaign.
Enzo Maresca currently has a very inexperienced squad; however, there are several young players in it who are delivering right now.
Despite losing 2-1 to Sunderland last weekend, Estevao Willian received some praise back home. The Brazilian is only 18, but he has been a bright spark for the Blues.
On the other hand, Andrey Santos, who is a few years older than his compatriot, has been a bit of a disappointment so far. It is why Chelsea’s fourth round tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday is a big game for him.
Andrey Santos during Chelsea vs Ajax
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Andrey Santos needs to deliver at Molineux
Much was expected of Santos this term after an excellent season at Strasbourg. While on loan at the French club, the midfielder scored 11 goals in 38 appearances.
At Chelsea, though, supporters have not seen that goalscoring touch yet. As per WhoScored, despite having an xG of 0.89 and registering five shots, Santos is yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League.
He has wasted a few good opportunities and really should have had his first goal for the club by now.
In Chelsea’s 3-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion last month, it was also the 21-year-old’s poor touch and pass that resulted in Trevoh Chalobah having to make a last-ditch tackle, which got him sent off.
Ultimately, given all of the expectation following his loan at Strasbourg, Santos has underwhelmed at Stamford Bridge. If the Brazil international plays against Wolves at Molineux, which you would expect as Maresca rotates the team, he needs to drop a big performance.
While it has not been the best start to the season, Chelsea still seem to believe in their player. It has been reported that Santos is not for sale despite interest from West Ham United.
Todd Boehly at Chelsea game
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Todd Boehly a huge fan of Andrey Santos
Boehly is one figure at Stamford Bridge who definitely has faith in the former Vasco da Gama star.
When Boehly spoke about Santos back in May ahead of Chelsea’s participation at the Club World Cup, he said: “We’re going to the Club World Cup, so we are laser focused on the Club World Cup. We have some players that are joining us that weren’t on the team — Andrey Santos, we’re really excited about him and what he can add to the squad.”
It is now time for Santos to repay the trust that Boehly and everyone else at Chelsea have placed in him.