Chelsea youngster Andrey Santos has revealed he feels very comfortable playing as the first defensive midfielder alongside the full back as he prepares to work under Enzo Maresca.
Santos is one of a number of players Chelsea have signed from South America since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over in 2022.
The Blues have a number of decisions to take over which youngsters to send out on loan and which should remain as part of the first team squad for the upcoming season with Santos falling into that category.
Santos on playing under Maresca
The 20-year-old impressed under Mauricio Pochettino in pre-season last year, but the decision was taken to send him on loan to Nottingham Forest which turned out to be a disaster.
Santos made just two appearances in the first half of the season and the Blues recalled him and sent him to French side Strasbourg for the second half of the campaign.
The Brazilian fared much better in France, and after a slow start he established himself as an important player for Patrick Viera’s side, impressing on a number of occasions.
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Santos is now back in pre-season training with Chelsea and will get the chance to impress Maresca and show he deserves to be part of the squad for the upcoming season when the Blues head off on their tour of America later this month.
The midfielder has been speaking about Maresca’s system and where he feels most comfortable playing.
“He (Maresca) plays in a 3-2-5 formation, if I’m not mistaken, with the full-back on the inside,” he told Premier League Brazil.
“I’ve played in this formation with coach Paulo Victor (Gomes) in the Brazilian under-15 and under-17 teams.
“As a defensive midfielder, you take control of the game from the front.
“I feel very comfortable and adapted to playing as the first defensive midfielder alongside the full-back. I really like dictating the pace of the game.”
Chelsea are stacked for options in midfield and as things stand it would seem the regular minutes Santos needs to develop his game won’t be available at Stamford Bridge, but an opportunity could open up if Conor Gallagher leaves.
The best option for Santos could be a Premier League loan to a club where he will be play regularly so he can gain experience of the league first hand which would prove invaluable.
