Chelsea are back on track after Fulham win | Football Digest
Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos has made a stuttering start to his temporary spell at Nottingham Forest. But the Blues may have to shoulder some of the blame, with manager Steve Cooper reluctant to play the promising teenager over the first few weeks of the season.
Santos was once again an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw at home to Brentford on Sunday. Seemingly in the knowledge that he wouldn’t get on to make his Premier League debut, the 19-year-old worryingly trudged off down the tunnel long before the final whistle.
With his only appearance for the Tricky Trees coming in the Carabao Cup defeat to Burnley in August, Santos could be forgiven for growing frustrated. The talented midfielder – already capped for Brazil at international level – was left out of the matchday squad altogether for the trip to Manchester City last month.
According to The Athletic, Forest are paying a financial penalty to Chelsea for every game Santos does not play when fit, but Cooper is refusing to be rushed.
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That, in part, is due to Chelsea’s handling of the summer transfer window. Santos’ loan move to Forest was not confirmed until August 25, meaning he missed the whole of Cooper’s pre-season, as well as the first two matches of the campaign.
The Blues were reluctant to give the green light on Santos’ switch to the City Ground until they landed key targets of their own. Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia each proved tough to pin down amid rival transfer interest from Liverpool.
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That approach seems to have done Santos no favours as he struggles to bed in under Cooper. The decision to choose Forest as the youngster’s next destination may also be a source of regret for Chelsea, given the club’s trigger-happy transfer tendencies since being promoted to the Premier League.
Central midfielders Ibrahim Sangare and Nicolas Dominguez both landed at the City Ground during the summer window – albeit after Santos’ arrival – but a period of frivolous Forest spending suggested that more signings were always a possibility.
The fact that Santos’ progress is currently being halted at Forest is made all the more painful for Mauricio Pochettino and co by the number of clubs that would have welcomed him. Porto, Benfica and Lyon were all believed to be eyeing up loan deals, but Chelsea opted to keep the former Vasco de Gama star in the Premier League.
The Blues also limited their options by sending the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Kepa Arrizabalaga on overseas loans. Clubs are only permitted seven such arrangements, and there was ultimately no space left for Santos.
Chelsea have a January recall clause included in their agreement with Forest, and the Londoners will be watching closely when the Tricky Trees travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
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