Forgotten Chelsea midfielder hoping for exciting Estevao link-up | OneFootball

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos, who is currently on loan at sister club Strasbourg, hopes to form a "great duo of Brazilians' alongside teenage prodigy Estevao Willian.

20-year-old Santos arrived at Stamford Bridge to great fanfare in January 2023 before heading back to Brazil to join Vasco de Gama on loan. Santos was expected to make an immediate impact upon his return to Chelsea but was quickly loaned to Nottingham Forest – a move that didn't work out in the slightest as he made just two appearances in five months.

A loan switch to Strasbourg followed in Feburary 2024 and Santos has remained in Ligue 1 ever since. Slowly but surely, he has established himself as a key player in central midfield and has nine goals to his name this season from 26 appearances.

There are still high hopes for Santos at Chelsea, who is one of a number of blossoming young talents that the club hope to develop into key first team players over the next few years. Geovany Quenda and Dario Essuga will join from Sporting CP in the summer – a further indication of Chelsea's commitment to youth – but the player to generate the most amount of hype has been attacking midfielder Estevao.

The 17-year-old, who will move to Chelsea in July after turning 18, has already burst into Brazil's senior international side, having made a record-breaking impact for Palmeiras. And Santos has revealed he's looking forward to joining his fellow countryman in west London, in a clear indication as to where he'd like his own future to lie.

"Estevao is a top-quality player, world-class," Santos told ESPN Brazil. "I'm a good friend of Savinho (from Manchester City), he said he's a great person. God willing, he'll go far and we can create a great duo at Chelsea, a duo of Brazilians."

Andrey Santos is playing well for Strasbourg / Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages

It's not yet clear whether Santos will be reintegrated into Chelsea's plans, but it's clear he's ready to seize his opportunity if that's the direction talks about his future head in this summer.

"Of course you want to play for the biggest clubs in Europe, for a very big club like Chelsea," he said. "Of course you dream of that moment, but I think the moment is to have a clear head, finish the season here to make the best choice when the season is over.

"A lot of people send me news [about Chelsea], but I don't think there's anything concrete like that," he continued. "No one has come to me directly and spoken to me. It's in Chelsea's hands, it's in my agents' hands, it's in my hands.

"At the moment I'm focused on these last few games, which are very important for Strasbourg. When the season ends, we'll see what happens, everyone will sit down and talk to make the best decision for both sides."