Yesterday felt like the end of an era in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola stepped down as Manchester City manager. Mohamed Salah left Liverpool. And Chelsea fans will certainly be hoping for new beginnings after how things have turned out for them in the past four seasons, since the BlueCo takeover.
They finished the season in 10th, outside of the European qualification spots. Now, mid-week games might help incoming manager Xabi Alonso to a certain extent.
That is Chelsea’s big hope right now. Alonso has been appointed as ‘manager’. The club have made the terminology very clear, as if wanting to show the fans that they are making changes. It remains to be seen if we witness a shift in the transfer strategy as well, something that might be even more important.
Chelsea might have let a few players go first in order to fund a summer rebuild. Could Andrey Santos turn out to be one of those who unexpectedly head for the exit door? Matt Law suggested the idea while speaking on the London is Blue podcast.
❓ @Matt_Law_DT on Andrey Santos' future: Chelsea are looking at midfield options in the transfer market. We know that if Alonso plays his three at the back, he likes two 6s. I wonder whether Santos is a little bit left on the sidelines within all this.
🎧👉… pic.twitter.com/AuXTzJlUyJ
— London Is Blue Podcast ⭐️⭐️ (@LondonBluePod) May 24, 2026
Santos linked with move away from Chelsea
It would be safe to say that a lot more was expected of Santos. He was one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1 last season. But at Chelsea, he simply has not done enough.
Yes, he has been a steady performer. But he has not been the swashbuckling Brazilian midfielder that we saw on loan at Strasbourg. Liam Rosenior was expected to unlock that again, when he arrived. But it did not happen.
Of course, players need to be given time to adjust to the Premier League. Look at the difference between Jorrel Hato now and in the first few months of the season. That being said, in most cases, the Blues might be open to exits if the right offers come in.
Where could Santos head if he leaves?
Manchester United are a club that have been linked with Santos quite often over the past few months. They seem to regard the midfielder highly.
On the other hand, he was also linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League last summer. In fact, it was suggested than an offer in the region of £50 million had been put on Chelsea’s table.
The Blues turned it down back then. But after what we have seen this season, if a similar one arrived this time, the response might be different.
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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