Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has had his say on the Blues' incoming manager Xabi Alonso
12:00, 23 May 2026
Chelsea star Andrey Santos
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Chelsea star Andrey Santos has given his verdict on Xabi Alonso (Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Andrey Santos has described incoming Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso as a "top manager".
The former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid coach has signed a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge and will officially start the new role on July 1. Alonso has been given the title of 'manager', rather than 'head coach' - representing a shift in power within BlueCo's hierarchy ahead of what promises to be another busy summer transfer window.
One player Alonso will be keen to work with is Santos, who joined the Blues from Vasco da Gama in a deal worth an initial £13million in January 2023. The Brazilian has come into his own this campaign after two successful loan spells with Strasbourg, with the 22-year-old making 43 appearances for the west Londoners throughout the 2025/26 season.
"Xabi [Alonso] is a top manager and is a legend in football," Santos said. "He played in my position too, so I have to work hard. We will work hard to finish the season, and then in the summer, we will see what happens."
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Santos scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea against Tottenham in midweek and the talented midfielder will be hoping to add to his tally in the years to come, potentially starting against Sunderland on Sunday.
"It’s special for me because it was my first goal in the Premier League and it came in my first game against Spurs. I'm so happy because we won this game, and now we have to move on to the last game," he said.
"The chance to qualify for Europe is still there. I know it's a little bit hard, but we have to do our job. There is one game left, and we have to work hard this week to win it.
"I'm so happy with this performance. I even looked at my phone after the game, and my wife had sent me a message saying, ‘Wow, what's happened with you today?’ I said, ‘I don't know, but I'm so happy, and I want that to happen more times!"
Santos admitted that playing for Chelsea and in the Premier League is a "dream", although he has had his struggles. His stint in English football includes a disappointing spell at Nottingham Forest, where he made two appearances in five months before being recalled from loan.
"I think this club opened the door to Europe for me," Santos added. "I joined Chelsea when I was 18 years old, and it’s changed my life. I was playing in Brazil's second division, and moving to the Premier League is not easy.
"And then I joined Nottingham Forest and Strasbourg as well, but now I'm back and I'm so happy to be here - my family too. My second son is English, so I'm so happy because it’s like a dream for my family and me to play here at Chelsea. It's a dream."
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