Andrey Santos is just a couple of games away from finishing his time with the Brazil U20 side, meaning soon Chelsea will have to decide his future for the rest of the season:
He doesn’t have a work permit yet, but it feels like he should be able to get one on appeal now he’s picked up these extra caps for his country.
Here are the main options as they stand:
If he gets a work permit, we could bring him right into our first team squad now. He would be able to settle in London right away, and maybe even get some minutes too. He certainly looks ready, despite his young age.
If we’re concerned about his adaptation, a loan to a team in Europe where he can play every week would probably be idea. In Portugal he would likely feel more at home than in London, and we could break him in to European football that way.
The final option – and the only option if he can’t get a work permit – is sending him back to Brazil. There he can keep up his impressive development, biding his time until he can make the change to the Premier League.
