Chelsea star confirms he’s rejected Arsenal move after Boehly weighs in

The chances of Arsenal signing Andrey Santos appear to have crumbled after the Chelsea star followed Todd Boehly’s lead by speaking about his future.

Santos spent the second half of the season on loan at Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg in France. While the midfielder did not make an impact during a previous loan spell at Nottingham Forest, he quickly established himself as one of Strasbourg’s best players.

Santos made 34 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 club and notched 11 goals and five assists in that time.

He even captained Strasbourg on eight occasions, despite the fact he is only 21 years of age.

Santos has now returned to Chelsea, who are delighted that the temporary switch has worked by getting his career back on track.

Interestingly, though, Santos’ dominant performances have resulted in talk he could leave Chelsea.

TEAMtalk revealed on April 15 that Bournemouth were among eight Premier League sides to have registered their interest in his services.

And earlier this month, reports in France suggested Arsenal were ‘hard at work’ in trying to sign Santos from rivals Chelsea.

But the exciting Brazilian is not looking to leave Chelsea and is hoping to make a big impression at this summer’s Club World Cup.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Santos was asked about his future and potential next move. He replied: “Everyone knows about my love, my desire to play for Chelsea. Enzo Maresca was very sincere with me. I went to Strasbourg to get minutes. Now we’ll see how it goes at the Club World Cup.

“The affection from Chelsea fans is something very special as well. Ever since the news broke that I was going to Chelsea, they started sending me a lot of messages. Back when I was at Vasco, too. And I had the spell at Nottingham, where I didn’t play, but they sent me messages there too, I’d see some posts, they’d tag me on Instagram and Twitter.”

Santos’ comments follow Boehly revealing on May 21 that Santos would be introduced to the Chelsea squad for the Club World Cup.

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“We’re going to the Club World Cup so, right now, we’re laser-focused on the Club World Cup,” the Blues co-owner said.

“We have some players that are joining us for the Club World Cup that weren’t on the team. Andrey Santos is coming from Strasbourg. We’re really excited about him and what we think he can add to the squad.

“The challenge that we really have is how many matches these guys are playing. The calendar is really tight, they put in so much effort and energy and the injuries are continuing to go up and up and up.

“We’re going to have to revisit what the calendar looks like and how much football they can actually play.

“Obviously, they’re built to play football, they love playing football, so we’re trying to find the balance of what’s the right amount of football.”

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TIMELINE: Andrey Santos’ troubled time at Chelsea

By Samuel Bannister

January 2023: Chelsea announce the signing of Andrey Santos, aged 18 at the time, from Vasco da Gama.

February 2023: Santos is denied a work permit, falling just one point short of the criteria because of Chelsea’s other signings.

March 2023: Vasco da Gama re-sign Santos on a three-month loan deal.

July 2023: Santos finally receives a UK work permit and plays for Chelsea in pre-season.

August 2023: Chelsea send Santos on loan to fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest for the season.

January 2024: Chelsea recall Santos from Nottingham Forest due to a lack of gametime (just two appearances) and send him to sister club Strasbourg instead.

March 2024: Santos is named the Ligue 1 young player of the month.

August 2024: With Santos still yet to make his competitive Chelsea debut, Strasbourg renew his loan deal for another season.

November 2024: Santos wears the captain’s armband for Strasbourg for the first of nine times this season.

May 2025: Santos concludes his loan spell with 34 appearances, 11 goals and five assists.