Chelsea have spent plenty of cash in the recently closed winter transfer window. The 100 million+ signings of Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk as well as the loan of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid may have deservedly stolen the headlines, but one signing that went under the radar is that of Brazilian wonderkid Andrey Santos.

Andrey Nascimento dos Santos was the Blues’ third signing of the transfer window in January and they closed his services for an amount of £18M paid to Vasco Da Gama. While fans of the club initially questioned the hefty price tag for a relatively unknown player, they have since come to acknowledge that he could actually prove to be one of the smartest signings of the transfer window and has bags of potential.

Santos’ recent performances at the South American Youth Football Championship has proven his supporters correct. He has captained Brazil successfully to the latter stages of the competiton and despite being a defensive midfielder, he is second on the top goal scorers list with five goals in the competition already.

Reliable football transfer journalist Fabrizio 

Romano, who was also one of the first to break the news of Andre Santos’ signing, shared an update on the player’s future at Chelsea.

“Understand Chelsea feel there will be no issues to get Andrey Santos work permit. Process very advanced — as club remains confident to receive the green light soon. 

Chelsea plan always been to include Andrey in the squad instead of loaning him out to Brazilian clubs,” he mentioned in his latest report.

While Chelsea have always wanted the youngster to be a part of Graham Potter’s squad, they have struggled with acquiring a successful UK work permit for the player. Reports from sources close to the development said that the youngster was unsuccessful in his first attempt and failed by just a single point.

However, his recent performances while captaining Brazil will only strengthen his case and aid the Blues’ attempts to register him in the first team soon. For more sports and betting news, you can visit Nextbet.

It is also being mentioned that Chelsea are also ready with an alternative solution if Andre Santos fails to secure a work permit. The player’s former club Vasco Da Gama are eager to have him back on loan at the club for the remainder of the season.