Article body analysed
By KIERAN GILL and TARA ANSON-WALSH Published: 02: 00 AEST, 17 April 2025 | Updated: 03: 25 AEST, 17 April 2025 2 View comments Chelsea and Strasbourg have agreed to wait until the end of the season before deciding what to do with Andrey Santos, after a loan spell in which he turned into a young force in French football. Sources say nothing is finalised regarding the 20-year-old Brazilian’s future despite it being widely assumed – certainly in the social media sphere – that he will spend next term at Stamford Bridge after wowing supporters of their sister club. There is a strong chance that could happen, of course, as Chelsea have been impressed while following his development closely under Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior. However, it is understood the final decision is being delayed until the unknowns become known, namely once it is confirmed which European competition each club are playing in next season. Santos’ progress will be paramount in whatever call is made this summer. Of all the midfielders in Ligue 1, nobody has made more tackles than him this term, and he is second only to Auxerre’s Hamed Traore, on loan from Bournemouth, for goals scored. Chelsea’s co-owner Behdad Eghbali was in Strasbourg on Saturday to watch their 2-2 draw with Nice – a game in which Santos assisted both goals – and the billionaire met briefly with representatives from the club’s hardcore fan group Ultra Boys 90. The future of Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos (right) is a hot topic after his form with Strasbourg The Blues signed the Brazilian for £18million from Vasco da Gama back in January 2023 That was seen as an opportunity for Eghbali to explain his commitment to some of his Blue Co ownership group’s harshest critics. Chelsea’s co-sporting director Laurence Stewart also visited on March 28 for the French club's 4-2 win over Lyon – in which Santos scored the opener – as he held several meetings with his Strasbourg counterparts on multiple matters. You imagine that included the complicated possibility of both clubs qualifying for the same European competition, with each sitting sixth in their respective leagues. If that happens, the plan is for any conflicting shares in Strasbourg to be placed into a blind trust so that the clubs can independently adhere to UEFA’s rules. Confidential has also been told the same stipulations which applied this season to Manchester City and Girona – the two City Football Group clubs in the Champions League – and Manchester United and Nice – the pair of INEOS teams in the Europa League – would be in place for Blue Co. Most notably, that would mean: Chelsea and Strasbourg would not be able to transfer players to one another, either on loan or permanently, directly or indirectly, for an extended period, with the exception of any pre-existing agreements; they would not be permitted to share scouting arrangements or player data with one another; and essentially, nobody would be allowed to be simultaneously involved in any capacity whatsoever at both clubs. Those stipulations were checked with UEFA and they confirmed that is their current understanding. As it stands, Santos will return to Chelsea when his season-long loan with Strasbourg ends, but we will need to wait to find out the next step for this sizzling starlet. Santos has made the most tackles of all Ligue 1 midfielders, while he is second for goals scored Multiple clubs across Europe are in for Jonathan David, though West Ham are leading the race among the English sides interested in the Lille forward. Chelsea have long been linked with the 25-year-old, whose contract with the French club expires this summer - leaving him available to depart on a free transfer. David has scored 107 goals in 227 games since joining Lille in 2020, including strikes in this season’s Champions League against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. It will not help West Ham that they cannot offer him any form of European football next season. This is unlikely to be the last time we hear of Chelsea facing competition from West Ham in the transfer market, mind. One reason is the Blues' recruitment specialist Kyle Macaulay resigned earlier this season in order to be reunited with Hammers boss Graham Potter. Another reason is West Ham need to lower the average age of their squad as it is one of the oldest in the Premier League – second only to Everton – so they are fishing in similar ponds for youngsters. Confidential was at Bournemouth’s 1-0 win over Fulham at the Vitality Stadium on Monday night. The away supporters spent much of the match chanting ‘Chelsea reject’ at Kepa Arrizabalaga, only for the on-loan Blues goalkeeper to be named man of the match over the tannoy. Bournemouth want to sign the 30-year-old permanently this summer, and they are set to speak with Chelsea and Arrizabalaga’s camp to try to get that deal done. West Ham are leading the race to sign Chelsea target Jonathan David (left) this summer Bournemouth are hoping to make Kepa Arrizabalaga's loan move permanent this summer However, insiders at the Vitality say they are preparing for every eventuality. That includes seeing which other goalkeepers are available in case they are unable to get Arrizabalaga, given his form in helping the Cherries challenge for European qualification under Andoni Iraola has triggered interest from elsewhere in England and Europe. Iraola was a key factor in Arrizabalaga choosing Bournemouth last summer as they crossed paths previously at Athletic Bilbao. They also want to hand their coach a new deal. Arrizabalaga signed a 12-month contract extension with Chelsea last year - taking his deal to 2026 - to make his loan to Bournemouth possible. The Blues would prefer to sell him permanently this summer. Moises Caicedo has been revealed as an ambitious transfer target for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, the cushty retirement home of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Chelsea sources say there is ‘zero chance’ that they will entertain selling the 23-year-old, who is now one of the Premier League’s best players and under contract until 2031, with the option of an additional year. He cost £115million - a British-record fee - when he joined from Brighton in 2023. Enzo Maresca has told us enough times that if players do not follow his instructions, they will find themselves in the wilderness at Chelsea. It was only in February that the Blues head coach warned his second-choice goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen he would axe him if he played a ‘long ball’, after all. Moises Caicedo emerged as an ambitious transfer target for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr Robert Sanchez's position as the No 1 goalkeeper at Chelsea is under pressure It will be interesting to see if Maresca opts to stick with Robert Sanchez for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Fulham, therefore, given the controversy of their weekend clash with Ipswich. Sanchez launched a goal-kick long against Ipswich when the plan was to play it short, and the visitors scored from that to make it 2-0. Maresca admitted after the 2-2 draw that his first-choice goalkeeper had been affected by the Stamford Bridge atmosphere as fans showed their frustration with the team trying to play out from the back. Maresca dropped Sanchez earlier in the season after an iffy spell to take him away from the Premier League spotlight, but when he brought him back in place of Jorgensen last month, he intended on that being that until they could reassess in the summer. The Italian now faces a dilemma over whether to stick with Sanchez or follow his own strong warnings previously that he will axe players who do not do as they are told. TIMELINE OF THAT IPSWICH GOAL: 29mins 2secs – Chelsea have a goal kick. Levi Colwill is taking it and signals to his team-mates to come closer to their own box. The fans show their frustration with that after growing tired of seeing them persistently try to play their way out from the back. Colwill takes it short to Sanchez and Chelsea lose the ball while trying to pass their way around Ipswich. 29mins 21secs – Jens Cajuste shoots wide for Ipswich to give Chelsea another goal kick. 29mins 57secs – The home fans are now highly frustrated and jeering as Colwill comes over to take the goal kick. Sanchez tells him to leave his area and orders everyone to push up the pitch as he intends on launching it long. He does so. Ben Johnson scored from an Ipswich break after Chelsea failed to play out from the back 30mins 13secs - However, Ipswich win possession easily. They counter at speed, Julio Enciso crosses, and Ben Johnson scores. Chelsea’s players complain to one another. The Football Association published their annual document on Monday detailing the transactions completed by every club in England between February 2, 2024 and February 3, 2025. That not only included transfers in and out, but any contracts improved internally. Studying those submitted by Chelsea, we knew a fair few. Cole Palmer: updated contract. Nicolas Jackson: updated contract. Tyrique George: updated contract. No surprises there. But then there was Mykhailo Mudryk: updated contract. That, we did not know. Following checks, Confidential is not at liberty to reveal what was specifically updated in the Ukrainian’s deal but we can say it seems to have been nothing major – merely an administrative tweak. The 24-year-old winger is still suspended from football after failing a doping test, and has not played for Chelsea since a Europa Conference League clash away at Heidenheim last November. Neither Raheem Sterling nor his camp have been told by Arsenal that he will not be signed permanently after his season-long loan expires, despite such speculation. No conversations have been held between the relevant parties in relation to next term as the focus right now is only on their respective run-ins. As far as Sterling is aware, no decision has yet been reached on his future. While it is entirely possible the 30-year-old will return to Chelsea this summer, confirmation will not come until the end of the season once talks have taken place. Despite his suspension, Mykhailo Mudryk's contract at Chelsea has recently been updated Raheem Sterling's immediate future remains a mystery after struggling for minutes at Arsenal Everton are not currently planning on turning Armando Broja’s loan into a permanent move unless Chelsea show a willingness to budge on his £30million cost. That is the value of the buy option which was inserted into his season-long switch to Goodison Park. Injuries have held Broja back from showing he is worth such a sizeable financial commitment this summer. Toffees manager David Moyes will have a heavy say in any transfer decisions made, and Everton are scouring the market for a new forward. The silver lining for Broja is he still has time to persuade Everton he should be on their striker shortlist, with six games remaining this season, but as of today, £30m is above the Toffees' valuation of the 23-year-old. Whether Chelsea will sign Jadon Sancho permanently or pay a penalty to send him back to Manchester United is undecided - but I liked that he was the only player who diverted his route towards the tunnel last week to speak with two fans in wheelchairs. That was before the 2-2 draw with Ipswich. It’s nice to see a footballer show his compassionate side every so often. It cost him nothing, but will have meant a great deal to those supporters, I’m sure. Chelsea's asking price of £30million for Albania forward Armando Broja is too high for Everton Chelsea Women were (unsurprisingly) well ahead of the other WSL teams in terms of fees spent on players' agents this season. For the first time, the Football Association revealed the women’s clubs’ transactions with intermediaries - and the Blues' total stood out. The club accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the league’s total spending, shelling out £622, 604 – much more than the next highest spenders Manchester City, on £288, 628. The WSL spent a combined total of £2. 1million. With the arrival of world-record signing Naomi Girma and Barcelona playmaker Keira Walsh in January, following a busy summer that saw seven players join the club, it’s no surprise that the reigning champions have continued to strengthen their squad. Chelsea won the League Cup last month and can still claim three more trophies this season. They lead the WSL, face Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League and beat Liverpool last weekend to reach the FA Cup final. I reported in November 2024 how Chelsea were set to add yet another promising prospect to their academy in Mathis Eboue, the 15-year-old son of former Arsenal and Ivory Coast right back Emmanuel. The teenager was highly-rated within Watford’s youth set-up. Last week saw the attacker make his first appearance since a lengthy injury as he came on as a substitute for the Under 16s. Eboue had been playing in higher age groups at Watford and even scored for the Under 21s. Mathis Eboue is the son of ex-Arsenal player Emmanuel, who had seven years at the Emirates It's always nice when Victor Anichebe can add a new friend to his club. It was in 2016 when Anichebe posted one of those mundane footballer messages that we all see on social media after games, except he forgot to remove the initial line: ‘Can you tweet something like…’ Well, Chelsea had something of a moment like that on Wednesday. A message from the club was sent to more than 200, 000 people via the ‘Chelsea FC Matchday Information’ Whats App channel. Its purpose was to remind fans that home tickets for Thursday's game with Legia Warsaw cannot be sold to visiting supporters and that if anyone is caught doing so, they will face sanctions. However, the initial version sent into the sphere included an intro which was not supposed to be included. It was all innocent, no harm done, soon corrected, and if anything, I’m glad Anichebe, now 36 and retired, has a pal. The Metropolitan Police are ready to act decisively – their words, not mine – if anyone shows any intent in causing trouble at Thursday's game. They’re a lively bunch, the Legia Warsaw ultras, and we’re told there will be an increased police presence in place for the Conference League quarter-final second leg. That is despite Legia being handed only 1, 021 tickets, including 60 for wheelchair users and their companions, after a decision made by the Safety Advisory Group. The away side are angry that they were not listened to in negotiations when their away allocation was slashed.
Share what you think
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mail Online.
By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on Mail Online. To do this we will link your Mail Online account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group