Andrey Santos: The King on Chelsea’s Chess Board | OneFootball

In January 2023, Chelsea signed an 18-year-old midfielder Andrey Santos from Brazilian side Vasco Da Gama, for a fee believed to be around $14.5 million.

One year prior, Santos had been elevated from the U20 to Vasco’s first team. They were playing in Brazil’s second division, but by the end of the 2022 season had secured promotion into the top division, Serie A.

South American football expert Tim Vickery told Sky Sports how important Santos had been to Vasco Da Gama. “He helped them out of that league just as Douglas Luiz did a few years ago before moving on to Manchester City. He’s a strong, box-to-box midfielder – I don’t think Vasco would have been promoted without him. But it’s [the Premier League] a big step up,” he concluded.

A Long Development

A big step up indeed. Over the next 30 months, Chelsea loaned Santos back to Vasco Da Gama, then to Nottingham Forest, and finally to Strasbourg. It was at Chelsea’s sister club, under Liam Rosenior, where he was finally transformed. 

It feels like a well-written script. Andrey Santos returned to Chelsea in June 2025 to work under Enzo Maresca. He didn’t get much game-time, or nearly as much as he would have wanted to make an impact. In January, Maresca was sacked and Rosenior took over.

Santos must be the luckiest man in the Chelsea squad to have Rosenior as a coach once again. In an interview posted by Chelsea’s official club website, Santos said: “I think he [Liam Rosenior] is a top coach, a top person as well.”

Liam Rosenior also had kind words to say about Santos while at Strasbourg, comparing him with Brazil legend Dunga.

“Andrey plays like he’s 32. I call him Dunga: he’s Brazilian but he doesn’t play like one. He’s so smart and his stats are through the roof, in terms of scoring goals, winning duels. He’s going to have an outstanding career.”

Back Together

The two are back together once again and Santos seems to be the main beneficiary of Liam Rosenior’s arrival at Chelsea. Under Maresca, Santos did not start three games in a row. But under Rosenior, he started Chelsea’s last four matches in all competitions, producing top performances that have got fans and pundits talking nonstop about him.

Tim Sherwood, one of the pundits on Premier League TV duty for Chelsea vs Leeds United, described Andrey Santos’ involvement [a disguised pass] in João Pedro’s goal: “He almost dislocated Ampadu’s knee passing it to Palmer [who was credited with the assist].”

It doesn’t end there. On the Chelsea website, Rosenior expounded on his impression of the young midfielder. “Andrey, for me, is a magnificent player. He’s a young player who plays way beyond his years. He is what I would call an “intangibles player”, where he does things in games that sometimes people don’t see. He will, for example, fill a position when the ball is nowhere near him, or he’ll make the right pass and two or three passes later we end up with a chance.

“Andrey helps players around him become better players because he’s so selfless in the way he plays. He’s been top in the games that he’s played, and I’m really enjoying working with him again.”

All Hail the King

It’s easy to name the likes of Moisés Caicedo, Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernández as Chelsea’s most important players but for me, in terms of the coach’s tactical demands, I think Andrey Santos eclipses those three. I call him THE KING on Chelsea’s chess board. 

After losing Levi Colwill and Romeo Lavia to injuries, Chelsea had issues progressing the ball quickly through the lines. But Maresca never really trusted Andrey Santos to fill in for Lavia and play the role consistently. In his view, Moisés Caicedo was untouchable as the ball-progressing defensive midfielder.

However, Liam Rosenior has changed that. He’s playing Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo in the pivot, with Santos having the responsibility of progressing the ball. Studying the pass attempts of the two backs that theory up.

Andrey Santos is becoming the main focus in Chelsea’s midfield. He’s the main progressor, conductor and director. Liam Rosenior’s football is based on progressing the ball through central channels and so far, Santos has made it look simple and effortless. His one-touch vertical passing has been a thing of beauty, making it easy for Chelsea to move the ball from back to front with a few passes instead of endless circulation at the back. The tempo of Chelsea’s game has also become a lot quicker in recent games.

“I’m lucky with Andrey because he’s done it for me before (at Strasbourg last season). The beauty of having Andrey there allows Moi to stay in the middle of the pitch where I love him to be and have him and Enzo at the top,” Liam Rosenior said. 

It’s safe to say that Andrey Santos is the missing piece in Chelsea’s midfield. His introduction has added life and substance into the team. And the ball progression issue that former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca complained about has become a distant memory.