Manchester United‘s first signing under Michael Carrick is Andrey Santos from Chelsea. A surprise, to be sure, but it’s not a transfer without its merits.
Andrey Santos to Manchester United from Chelsea certainly wasn’t on our transfer window bingo card for this summer, but the Brazilian has become Michael Carrick’s first signing in charge at Old Trafford.
It’s been abundantly clear for a long time that United would need midfield reinforcements as a priority this summer, so there’s no surprise about the position of Carrick’s first arrival.
Depth in midfield is something they’ve lacked for many seasons; on top of that, you have to consider the departure of the influential Casemiro, plus the long-term injury to Manuel Ugarte, who would probably have been for sale anyway had he not returned from the World Cup crocked.
In short, United’s options had gone from limited to dwindling prior to confirmation of Santos’ arrival on Monday. The only senior central midfielders they had were Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes, and the latter pair certainly aren’t what you’d call natural deep-lying midfielders.
Man Utd squad age matrix
Brazil international Ederson seemed to be at the front of the queue, even undergoing at least one medical after United agreed a fee with Atalanta, but that deal has fallen through since Santos emerged as a viable option, coincidentally or not.
Santos is a curious choice for several reasons. He was largely a backup player for a team who finished seven places and 19 points behind United in 2025-26; he’s young and therefore not the final article that many United fans envisioned bolstering the midfield; and he plays for one of the other traditional ‘big six’, so arguably a direct rival, and United don’t tend to sign from those clubs. In fact, since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, the only players United have signed for their senior team from ‘big six’ rivals are Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic, Mason Mount (all Chelsea) and Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal).
But while Santos feels like a signing out of left field, there’s plenty to suggest he could be a shrewd acquisition – yes, even at the reported £48 million (plus £2m in add-ons) he’s said to have cost.
Many United fans will have been keen to impress on the club the need to ensure any midfield reinforcements complement or support the popular Mainoo rather than put the homegrown talent’s role in doubt. Carrick’s predecessor, Ruben Amorim, infamously overlooked the England international time and time again, but between his sacking in January and the end of the 2025-26 season, only Fernandes (1,679) and Luke Shaw (1,589) accumulated more minutes in all competitions than Mainoo (1,503) among United’s outfield players.
Mainoo Man Utd Minutes 2025-26
When it comes to complementing Mainoo, Santos ticks that box.
There’s an argument he’s actually a more well-rounded midfielder than Mainoo, who, for all his on-ball quality, does have defensive and physical deficiencies. Santos also isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he does appear to be more switched on defensively and has a greater combative streak, which ought to hint at a decent balance between them.
First and foremost, though, Santos’ key strengths lie in his distribution.
He’s a confident and effective passer, capable of dictating play with short, sharp passes or getting his team on the front foot with more adventurous balls through the lines.
Santos is tidy in tight spaces and could add a greater degree of intricacy to United’s build-up; there’s considerable potential for eye-catching interchanges between him and Mainoo, considering the latter’s own talent over shorter distances as well.
But the Brazil international’s ability to play more difficult passes is where he adds the most value.
Admittedly, Santos’ proportion of passes played forward (25.7%) isn’t extraordinary. However, he seems to have a good understanding of when to shift the ball forward because few players find a teammate more often in these circumstances. In fact, of midfielders to play at least 900 minutes in the Premier League last term, only three had a better pass completion rate when it came to forward passes than Santos (80%).
Andrey Santos forward passes
Not unrelated to that, Santos’ completion rate with passes into the final third (82.2%) is notably high as well, ranking sixth among Premier League midfielders last term (900+ mins). And his output in relation to line-breaking passes is also impressive, averaging 8.1 per 90 minutes last season, putting him behind just 11 midfielders. Of those above him, Elliot Anderson (10.2) was the only other under-23 player, while Santos came in just behind Bruno Guimarães (8.6) and Martin Ødegaard (8.2).
Andrey Santos LBPs
It’s also worth pointing out that 14.2% of Santos’ open-play passes broke at least one line in the opposition’s setup, putting him joint 15th out of 91 midfielders to play 900+ mins.
This all reflects a certain incisiveness he can already offer from deeper positions in midfield, and there’s no reason to think he can’t continue to hone this side of his game, turning it into a major weapon.
And we shouldn’t forget, this was an underrated element of Casemiro’s game. While perhaps more renowned for his destructive tendencies, he was an accomplished distributor and capable of picking out killer balls or early passes over defences. United were going to lose out on his passing ability by letting him go, but presumably the hope is that Santos will ensure that remains, even if in a slightly different guise.
But as mentioned before, the close-quarters intricacy Santos should aid is also worth highlighting.
He likes to exchange quick, short passes with teammates, which can be useful in getting around a press or turning up the tempo. One example of this associative side of his game would be that he averaged 1.8 successful layoffs per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season, ranking behind just 11 nominal defensive, central and attacking midfielders (900+ mins); it speaks to his willingness to be an effective link player in build-up, as well as his general tidiness in tight spaces and in possession.
Andrey Santos layoffs
The latter point can also be highlighted on a broader level simply by looking at his pass completion rate, which was 89.9% in the Premier League last term, a figure only seven could better among nominal midfielders (900+ mins).
Of course, pass completion rates can rarely be taken at face value, but as we’ve already noted, Santos isn’t a player who’s purely got by on simple passes; we’ve seen he contributes effectively to ball progression and frequently looks to play through the lines.
When it comes to his use of the ball in deep areas, where losing possession can be critical, there are signs to suggest Santos could actually be a more reliable figure than Casemiro.
Among nominal midfielders in the Premier League last term (900+ mins), Santos’ pass completion rate under pressure (86.5%) was solid, putting him 21st out of 94; Casemiro, on the other hand, completed 80.4% of such passes, seeing him rank 67th in the same group.
Andrey Santos passes under pressure
Casemiro’s general pass completion rate of 81.3% was also a fair way behind Santos’. Of course, we have to point out that the more experienced Brazilian played a far greater proportion of his passes forward (35.7% to Santos’ 25.7%), but the evidence suggests United may find eluding the opposition’s press is more achievable with Santos – at least when it comes to short passes.
As touched upon, though, Santos will also – like Casemiro was – be expected to provide United with some steel out of possession.
It’s true he’s not the most physically imposing individual, nor is he someone who zips about the pitch with immense intensity, with his 53.7 pressures per 90 putting him behind 63 others in the midfield rankings last term.
However, he is a good competitor in duels.
Only three nominal midfielders (900+ mins) in the Premier League last term bettered his win rate in duels (62.0%), and he had a good record with respect to ‘true tackles’.
Andrey Santos duels
Where the standard ‘tackles’ metric only considers success when the ball is taken away from the opponents and excludes fouls, ‘true tackles’ rewards defenders for getting a touch on the ball even if their opponents retain possession and penalises those who commit fouls when attempting a tackle. It gives a rather more nuanced view of player effectiveness when defending in one-on-one situations.
Santos’ 64.9% ‘true tackle’ success saw him rank 11th out of nominal midfielders to attempt at least 50 tackles, meaning he has a good track record when it comes to disrupting opposition players.
It’s understandable that the Santos move may be met with some trepidation among United fans, the majority of which probably stems from the unknown. After all, he isn’t a player lots of non-Chelsea fans will have spent considerable time watching, and as a deep-lying midfielder, he is by definition a little less noticeable than, say, a number 10, centre-forward or a winger.
Furthermore, he’s also unlikely to emphatically address the concerns many United fans have regarding a lack of mobility in central midfield. While undoubtedly more mobile than Casemiro, United still arguably require a powerful runner in the middle to ease worries about being caught in transition, and the jury’s out on whether Santos can be that kind of player.
But the widespread surprise and frustration that’s emanating from the Chelsea fanbase in response to the initial news speaks volumes for the regard Santos is broadly held in by supporters.
After returning from a promising loan spell at Strasbourg, which saw him voted into the Ligue 1 Team of the Season for 2024-25, having thrived in a box-to-box role, it was always going to be tough dislodging Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo in the Chelsea midfield.
But Santos made enough of an impression for Chelsea fans to think their midfield was secure for the foreseeable future. He’s young, has a year of adaptation to Premier League football under his belt, and while perhaps not a standout figure, his potential looks quietly significant.
The early indications are United have pulled off something of a coup. It might not be immediately clear, but Santos looks a smart, considered and good-value acquisition for Carrick.
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