Chelsea may have to wait to reap the on-pitch rewards of their hard work in the transfer market. With a deal for David Datro Fofana already completed – he was seen at the City Ground watching the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest from the stands – there is still plenty more to be done.
Graham Potter, manager of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea at the City Ground© Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Graham Potter is still working with a squad that looks inadequate to compete at the top end of the Premier League but progress is being made to change that this month. Enzo Fernandez is being pursued as an extra body in midfield whilst there are still hopes of bringing in an extra right-back addition to help ease the burden on Reece James, and also cover for his injury issues.
That is far from the end of their endeavours though with another striker also on the list of positions that need attention, forwards also expected to move on in 2023 and a defensive crisis waiting to happen with ageing centre-backs. All in all plenty of work is still needed.
To get ahead of the game Chelsea have continued to plan for the future with the signings of talented youngsters across Todd Boehly’s ownership so far. One of the players that is close to coming in is 18-year-old Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos. He has said his goodbyes to his teammates at home but hasn’t yet completed a deal.
A deal worth around £13m, that could rise to £20m, has been agreed but isn’t ready to announce just yet and The Evening Standard’s Nizaar Kinsella has said that the process is set to hit a few rocks on the way through. Speaking on the London is Blue podcast, Kinsella explained: “He might end up back at Vasco because the work permit situation could be complicated. Chelsea already have [Cesare] Casadei, Carney Chukwuemeka and Lewis Hall who would be in a better position to contribute now.”
Santos is 18 so is able to move clubs unlike 16-year-old Real Madrid signing Endrick, who can’t leave Brazil until his 18th birthday. Getting work permits for South American youngsters has always been an issue though and is one that Chelsea were prepared for. Santos being unable to join up with Fofana immediately does somewhat dent Potter’s planning though.
With midfield issues, hence the drive to sign Fernandez early, the physicality and skill of Santos may have been an outside option for some cover in that position. Hall’s rise to first team prominence and the promise shown by Chukwuemeka does take the edge off that though.
If Santos is to leave on loan then he may not be the only player to come in but spend the rest of the season away from the club, with Fofana also linked with a move away to develop for the rest of this campaign. PSV Eindhoven are reportedly keen on his temporary services, and Potter addressed his future, saying: “We still need to wait for the clearances and all those formalities. He’s been on a bit of a break so we’ll give him some time to train, to assess him, and then work out the best solution in terms of taking the next step in his career.”
When asked about the wider transfer strategy for the month Potter was coy, adding: “We will try in every window to improve, but January is a complicated one because it’s the middle of the season. And in the meantime, we have to deal with all the noise of Chelsea getting linked with everybody and I don’t comment on any player that isn’t a Chelsea player.
“As always, and it’s a boring answer, but my job is to help the players that are here and support the club in terms of decisions they make in terms of how to improve.”
Source: Football London
