Andrey Santos shares the advice Patrick Vieira gave him ahead of return to Chelsea

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos spent the second half of last season out on loan at Strasbourg, where he worked under Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira. Andrey Santos has since returned to Chelsea and could be part of Enzo Maresca ‘s squad for the 2024/25 campaign.

The 20-year-old will be hoping that he remains at the club for the new season and that he can make an impact. Santos was surprised by his Nottingham Forest loan, with the Brazilian initially joining them before signing for Strasbourg. But he now has a chance to impress the new Chelsea manager in pre-season and has received some advice from Vieira.

What has Patrick Vieira told Andrey Santos?

Vieira is one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history. So it is fair to assume that Santos really listened to him and is going to try and apply his advice. On what the 1998 World Cup winner told him, Santos said in an interview with PL Brasil :

“He gave me general advice for both the Premier League and Ligue 1 about the speed of the game. It’s totally different to Brazil, in terms of strength and speed. “Respecting the moments of the game and using all that will be key in my pre-season now, because most of the games are against Premier League teams.”

Santos made 11 appearances at Strasbourg last season, scoring one goal. It was a way more productive loan spell than his one at Forest, with the Brazil international only managing to play two games there.

Should Chelsea loan Andrey Santos out again?

Santos is probably going to struggle for minutes at Stamford Bridge this upcoming season. Maresca already has the likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and new signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to call upon. At 20, Santos is also still a very young Brazilian that has practically no experience playing in the Premier League after his disastrous loan spell at Forest last term.

When you consider the above, it could be wise for Chelsea to loan Santos to another Premier League club before integrating him into their first-team squad for the 2025/26 season. If he can impress during pre-season and Chelsea sell a midfielder or two, though, perhaps there could be a role for him under Maresca in the upcoming campaign.