Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos is finally set to make his much-anticipated debut for Chelsea at the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. After a fantastic loan stint with Strasbourg in Ligue 1, heβs back, and there's a buzz around how this 21-year-old could really elevate Cole Palmerβs game to new heights. Honestly, a little tactical tweak might just be what they need.
So, Santos is definitely the hot topic right now. His loan at Strasbourg has been nothing short of amazing, and now heβs part of Chelsea's squad for the World Cup. But hereβs a thought: could Chelsea's ambition to gather some of the best midfield talent in the world, along with a potential new superstar like Santos, actually help bring out the best in Palmer?
Letβs talk about the current midfield setup. Coach Enzo Maresca has been sticking to a 4-2-3-1 formation this season, with Palmer often playing in the No. 10 spot, backed up by Fernandez and Caicedo. Lavia has been sidelined for much of the season with injuries, playing just 16 times in the Premier League, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has seen action in 13 games, mostly off the bench. According to Opta stats, when you look at the Chelsea midfielders on a per-90-minute basis, Caicedo and Lavia have been solid as the deeper playmakers, while Santos has been making a serious impact.
Oh, and letβs not forget, there are actually two new faces joining the squad this season. Besides Santos, there's Dario Essugo, coming in from Sporting CP. The club seems to think Essugo can cover for Caicedo pretty well since their stats are quite similar, but honestly, Santos is the one to watch. When Chelsea picked up Santos in 2023, those back in Brazil raved about his dynamismβhe's a real box-to-box midfielder who knows how to find the back of the net. Sure, his loan to Nottingham Forest didnβt pan out, but that 18-month loan to Strasbourg? Total game changer. He thrived there, even captaining the team a few times, and just missed out on being named Ligue 1βs Young Player of the Year, losing to Desire Doue, who you might know from the Champions League final.
Now, about Palmer. Maresca has mainly used that 4-2-3-1 system with Palmer at the heart of it all. But there have been moments this season where Palmer has struggled, especially when opposing teams send multiple players to mark him out of the game. Some of that can be blamed on the inconsistency of Chelseaβs wingers. But could it also be about where Palmer is positioned? In his first season with Chelsea, he racked up 25 goals and 15 assists, mainly from the right wing. In the most recent matchβthe UEFA Conference League finalβhe really stepped up in the second half after feeling "sick of going backwards and sideways." Former Chelsea player Joe Cole couldnβt help but praise what he witnessed.
As expected, players like Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Noni Madueke are all in the mix.
New signings Liam Delap and Dario Essugo are also set to make their Chelsea debuts during the tournament, and fans are eager to see Andrey Santos hit the pitch for the first time.
Now, a bit of concerning news: Palmer is scheduled for a scan today due to a "muscular injury" he picked up in training on Saturday, just a day before Chelsea was set to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. It's likely heβll miss a couple of England matches during the international break, with Morgan Gibbs-White stepping in for him.
Maresca is optimistic that Palmer will be back for the game against Tottenham after the two-week break, but weβll have to wait for the scan results to know for sure. Losing Palmer now would be a tough blow for Chelsea, especially with how crucial this part of the season is as they aim to finish in the top five and secure Champions League football next year, all while pushing for glory in the Conference League.
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