A £24,000-per-week youngster is in line for the Chelsea first team next season, and he is viewed as a great fit for Enzo Maresca’s system.
Enzo Maresca’a favoured Chelsea players
The Blues appointed their new manager last week, with Maresca putting pen to paper on a long-term five-year deal which includes the option of a further season.
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Tottenham and Atletico were both interested.
A former understudy of Pep Guardiola at Man City, the tactician guided Leicester City to automatic Premier League promotion at the first time of asking last season – winning the Championship in the process.
This has alerted Chelsea chiefs to his obvious potential as a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino, with journalist Ben Jacobs giving a detailed breakdown of why the Stamford Bridge boardoom opted for Maresca.
“Maresca stood out because of his possession-based style,” said Jacobs on X.
|
Enzo Maresca’s record at Leicester City last season |
The numbers (via Transfermarkt) |
|---|---|
|
Games managed |
53 |
|
Wins |
36 |
|
Draws |
4 |
|
Losses |
13 |
|
Points per game on average |
2.11 |
“Experience in English Football seen as key. Chelsea struck by his ‘champions mentality’. Maresca is also understood to have displayed extensive squad knowledge at interview and was impressed with the talent and balance at the Club.
“Maresca’s thirst for knowledge impressed Chelsea’s hierarchy. He even started watching last season’s games whilst on holiday in Marbella ahead of getting the job. Maresca has already asked for data access to provide performance analysis on every player from youth level to the the first team, as well as full details of everyone working at Cobham. This meticulous approach was the same at Leicester.”
This analysis of the 44-year-old, and how he operates as a manager, indicates that he will have done his homework on every member of Chelsea’s squad. Maresca has told Chelsea hierarchy that he’s a fan of Robert Sanchez, for instance, with the goalkeeper looking set to play a role under him next term.
Meanwhile, Maresca is also planning to make Cole Palmer the vocal point of his Chelsea team as well. It will be very interesting to see how the ex-Leicester boss approaches Chelsea’s younger crop of talented players as well.
Brazilian starlet Andrey Santos set to link up with the west Londoners after his loan spell at sister Club Strasbourg in France, and he carries a big reputation. The Rio-born midfielder has captained Brazil’s Under-23s, and already has one cap at senior level.
Andrey Santos in line for Chelsea first team
As reported by The Athletic, Santos is in line for the Chelsea first team next season. The 20-year-old is viewed as a “great fit” for Maresca’s system, given his ability to operate both as a number six and number eight.
His versatility is seen as a key asset as Chelsea navigate the extra Conference League games, and they’ve rebuffed numerous enquiries from interested clubs following an impressive loan at Strasbourg.
On around £95,000-per-month, which averages out at £24,000-per-week, Santos looks like he could be one to watch at Stamford Bridge next season.