Chelsea fans have been left disappointed to not see one of their players in either of the first two group stage games of the Club World Cup.
Andrey Santos is yet to make his competitive debut for the Blues, despite being one of the few players not with last season’s squad to be selected for the tournament in the United States.
Santos was tipped to play against Flamengo, however had to watch on from the bench as traditional right-back Reece James started in the middle of the park.
Enzo Maresca has claimed Santos will get his opportunities, and the excruciating heat in America would lead the Blues to plenty of rotation for their final group game against ES Tunis.
Andrey Santos to make ‘a lot of noise’ if he doesn’t get minutes at Chelsea
However, reports have claimed that Santos is expecting regular first team minutes when he is finally brought into the Chelsea first team, and so far that has not been on offer to him.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has stated that it can be expected that there will be murmurings of discontent coming directly from the Brazil international’s camp if the issue is not resolved and he does not find himself playing regularly for the Blues.
He told the ‘London is Blue’ podcast: “I think we’ll start hearing a lot of noise from Andrey’s camp if he’s not getting minutes, I think Andrey does not see himself as number 2 to anyone.
“He’s seeing himself as someone who if he gets a chance can stay in the side, is there a scenario where he leaves the Club World Cup and feels doubtful of his Chelsea pathway? Chelsea have all the cards but Andrey feels after last season he’s ready for minutes.”
Major clubs looking at Santos
Given his excellent 18 months on loan at Strasbourg, it is clear to see why a number of top clubs are interested in signing the midfielder should the opportunity arise.
Arsenal have interest in Santos, however they are also set to greatly strengthen their own midfield with the signing of Martin Zubimendi.
Barcelona are long-time admirers too, and the Spanish giants were gutted they missed out on Santos when he committed his future to Stamford Bridge.
Maresca must address the situation in the upcoming game, handing a much-needed rest to either Moises Caicedo or Enzo Fernandez in the process.
