“It was hard!” – Why Chelsea’s £20m signing had a sleepless week | OneFootball

Andrey Santos started for Chelsea last night against Cardiff and had a good game for the Blues in midfield, controlling the game in the defensive phase really nicely alongside Moises Caicedo.

He’s making good progress in his first year at the club, and in an interview with the club’s official website today he spoke about the feelings he had when he first heard of the Blues’ interest.

Santos on the sleepless weeks waiting for Chelsea’s call

Andrey Santos in preseason training. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)

“I remember when my agent said to me that I had interest from Chelsea, and I didn’t sleep because it was my dream to play in a big club like Chelsea,” Santos said.

“I didn’t sleep at all – that week was hard for me! But I’m here now, and I’m so happy to be here.”

Santos also reeled off a list of Brazilians he remembers watching play for Chelsea when he was a kid:

“So many: Willian, Ramires, David Luiz, Thiago Silva. Actually, when I arrived here, Thiago Silva helped me a lot as well. I went for dinner with him when I arrived, so Thiago Silva was like a father for me.”

It’s been a slow but steady start for Santos at Chelsea – let’s hope he keeps developing so that in a couple of years we’re talking about him on his way to joining that illustrious list.

In other news…

Joao Pedro has played a lot of games for Chelsea now and it’s fair to say the overall feeling is disappointment, especially given the bright start he made in his first few games at the Club World Cup.

A lot of fans weren’t keen on the idea of signing Alejandro Garnacho in the summer, but they’re coming around to it now that he’s playing well and scoring goals.