Chelsea could have a problem when it comes to finding Andrey Santos a new club when he’s recalled from Nottingham Forest.
The Reds have only used Santos for seven minutes in the Premier League this season and Chelsea aren’t happy.
They allowed Forest to beat a host of clubs to take the youngster on loan in the summer but he’s hardly played.
Chelsea have a problem if they recall Santos from Forest
Choosing to bring Santos back from Forest is the easy part of this process.
Forest are paying a financial penalty every time he doesn’t play and the Reds won’t mind him heading back.
However, he’s not got an immediate future at Chelsea, with Mauricio Pochettino viewing him as one for the future.
Loaning him out won’t be straightforward given that the Blues already have seven players out on loan to overseas clubs.
Under the current FIFA guidelines, no club is permitted to have more than seven players on loan at clubs in another country.
Strasbourg are keen to sign the 19-year-old but Chelsea would have to recall another loanee to do that deal.
Premier League loan would be best for Santos
Ironically, Santos would probably have more chance of playing for Forest in January.
Ibrahim Sangare will head off to the African Cup of Nations at the turn of the year and that will leave a void in midfield.
However, Chelsea are unlikely to change their mind now and a return to Stamford Bridge seems nailed on.
It’s been a bit of a strange one for Santos as he looked pretty good in the Carabao Cup against Burnley.
What didn’t help him was that after his arrival, Forest signed Sangare and Nicolas Dominguez on transfer deadline day.
That has shunted him down the pecking order and Steve Cooper hasn’t deemed it necessary to use him.
It does seem as though Chelsea have a little bit to ponder though.
If they can’t sort one of their other loanees out, they might be left with no choice but to include him in their own squad.
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