Even with Moises Caciedo holding things together for Enzo Maresca, Chelsea's best-performing midfielder is at RC Strasbourg. So is the club's most reliable and impressive goalkeeper.
In fact, Strasbourg as a whole are in much better shape right now. It is not controversial to say that Liam Rosenior's side are arguably more likely to qualify for the Champions League either.
They have won nine of 13 Ligue 1 matches since the turn of the year and have the second most points in the last 12 games, behind only runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Strasbourg, the BlueCo-owned side forming the other half of the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly multi-club model, are four points away from third.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are currently sitting in fourth, with fifth almost certain to be enough to secure Champions League football, but are on a downwards trajectory and have an incredibly tough end to the season. Going a bit deeper, Rosenior has shown adaptability and flexibility in his approach with the divisions youngest squad, overcoming problems off the cuff.
Maresca is actually earlier on in his managerial journey than Rosenior. Both are young and highly rated tacticians. Both have been trusted with coaching an ambitious project geared towards developing players. The task is to try and win at a good enough rate in the mean time.
Rosenior and Maresca can also shake hands on having their team bound by an energetic and multi-faceted central midfielder. For Chelsea and Maresca it is in the form of £115million signing Caicedo. At Strasbourg it is loanee Andrey Santos.
The pair are very different. Caicedo is 23 and operates in a much deeper position. He is the man who receives from defence, turns under pressure, and releases through the lines. He is able to work further forward and perhaps should offer more at times given his passing range, but Santos is, on the surface, the guy who Caicedo would be passing to.
He is a true box-to-box but with a focus on crashing and disrupting. Santos has scored eight times this season in the league and can smash them in from distance, arrive late to be a threat in the air, or finish neatly when in the right position.
Both are extremely versatile and well-rounded. Santos was signed in January 2023 from Vasco da Gama for just over £10million. Two years on and he is one of the top players in his position, let alone for his age group.
Aged 20, Santos is the sort of profile of player Chelsea have missed this season with Maresca. He is durable, physical, and combative. Caicedo is all of those things as well but has had to carry the midfield (and often the team in general) on his back.
Enzo Fernandez is a wonderful technician but offers very little without the ball. Romeo Lavia, when fit, is more of a defensive presence but still has a lot to learn in terms of positioning and screening. Caicedo is more than just a destroyer but has been left to do the dirty work. His hamstrings have kept Chelsea going.
It is notable, then, that the summer business in midfield already includes an effective backup in that position. Dario Essugo is a tackling interceptor in the mould of Caicedo. He, like Santos, is only 20 but has senior experience which a lot of Chelsea's other youthful signings do not.
Together, Caicedo, Santos, and Essugo possess the sort of characteristics that Premier League teams are built. There is a blend of physicality with touch and subtlety. Santos embraces this but is yet to make his Chelsea debut despite going to pre-season tours with the senior squad in the last two summers.
On loan Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos celebrates scoring for RC Strasbourg
Andrey Santos is yet to play for Chelsea (Image: LOU BENOIST/AFP via Getty Images)
His comments this week have scared some who are fearful that the methods of flipping players for profit will be used here instead of making Santos a player to form the platform of Maresca's squad. "Of course, you want to play for the biggest clubs in Europe, for a very big club like Chelsea," he said in an interview with ESPN.
"You dream of that moment but I think, at this moment, you have to have a clear head, finish the season here and make the best choice when the season is over." Santos is a player of immense interest across Europe with top sides keeping him on their radar after being beaten to his signature by Chelsea previously.
That is where the worry comes in. “I don’t think that a specific decision has been made," Santos said when asked what his future will be next season. "No one has come to talk to me directly. Everything is in the hands of the club and my agents.”
Whilst the uncertainty certainly does raise questions, it is understood that Chelsea are planning to assess Santos. Given his attributes and quality, it would still be a surprise if they were to cash in.
He also spoke of teaming up with Estevao Willian, who Chelsea signed for a possible £51million, and is being allowed to work at Strasbourg without distractions. Chelsea and their sister club are naturally close and so do not necessarily need the conversations with Santos directly, not after he has already been there for 12 months.
Cynicism will still naturally kick in from those who have seen Chelsea look for a quick way to generate money. This is a club who sold off Lewis Hall following his breakthrough into the first team and actively sought to get rid of Conor Gallagher despite his position as one of the most important players for Mauricio Pochettino.
Andrey Santos celebrates
Andrey Santos celebrates scoring for Strasbourg (Image: Thibaud Moritz/AFP)
The reality is that Santos is needed at Chelsea. He brings attacking elements to midfield which none of the others have and combines play in all thirds of the pitch. He is an ideal foil for those around him, providing competition simply a rotation option.
Perhaps a bigger issue, outside of whether Santos is at Stamford Bridge or not, is how he will be used by Maresca. The Italian has stifled Chelsea of late with slow, predictable play frustrating the home crowd and impacting the players as well.
Wingers have struggled for output even before Noni Madueke's injury, whilst Cole Palmer has hit a brick wall. Maresca's use of his widemen has prompted an early inquiry into how Estevao will be utilised. The same can be said for Santos.
He thrives on moments made for himself. He is an uncontrolled spark which can break a game open or change the flow. Maresca prefers a regimented style with disciplined patterns. The speed and chaos which underpinned Chelsea at their best last season and at the start of this one has been almost entirely coached out of the side.
How Santos will respond to this and what Maresca sees as his best role within the team are reasonable questions to ask. The first step is for him to have another shot at getting himself in the squad, and there really should be no doubt about his place.
football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel
Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Want to keep up to date with the breaking and important Chelsea stories whilst on the move? Well now you can!
Click this link to follow the football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel, where you'll be kept up to date on the latest Blues news wherever you are.
Just remember to turn on the notifications once you've followed, and you won't miss a beat!