The young Brazilian signed with City Ground with the expectation of playing regular first-team football, but thus far in the Premier League, he has only appeared as a substitute once.
After signing Santos, Forest waited until the last minute to get Nicolas Dominguez and Ibrahima Sangare, who both took his position in the midfield hierarchy.
Santos’ complete omission from Forest’s matchday roster for their most recent encounters against West Ham and Brighton has further heightened Chelsea’s concerns about his playing time.
The Athletic reports that Chelsea will activate a break provision in his loan agreement and bring the 19-year-old back to Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window.
Given his underwhelming performance and the financial cost they face whenever he sits out a game, Forest are more than delighted to have Santos go back to his original club.
Chelsea is in a bit of a pickle as they consider Santos’s future for the remainder of the season.
In order to find a new European club for Santos, the west London team would have to terminate one of their seven existing international loans, which is the maximum allowed by UEFA rules.
Given the rosters of Real Madrid’s Kepa Arrizabalaga, Lyon’s Diego Moreira, Hakim Ziyech of Galatasaray, David Fofana of Union Berlin, Angelo Gabriel of Strasbourg, and Lyon’s Diego Lukaku, it’s hard to imagine who they would remember.
Santos would be a good fit for the Strasbourg loan program because both clubs are controlled by the same group.
Although Santos might join a domestic team, Chelsea may have to consider a Championship club in light of his ineffectiveness at Forest.
Since the Brazilian impressed Mauricio Pochettino in preseason and was named on the bench for Chelsea’s Premier League opener, this situation creates a dilemma for the Blues, who may decide to keep him at Cobham for the rest of the season.
Forest manager Steve Cooper stated at the beginning of the month in response to Santos’ infrequent playing time: “He’s been good.” It’s clear that he’s a talented young player. This week, I had a fruitful conversation with Chelsea regarding him. I had no idea he had been mentioned in any publications.
There are a lot of new faces on the team, and we’re still finding our groove in terms of how to include everyone at the correct moment while still giving it our all in every game to achieve our goals. It’s a genuine procedure.
Sometimes it takes more time for young athletes to settle in than others. It’s just that in a few of the games right now, it’s all circumstantial, not that he isn’t.