BAD NEWS FOR CAICEDO: CHELSEA HAVE "SUPERB" ENZO & RICE HYBRID OUT ON LOAN
Chelsea have spent £252m on a midfield trio of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Roméo Lavia, with all three joining the club during 2023.
Fernandez (who joined first in January) made 40 appearances for Chelsea last season in all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing three assists while Caicedo made 48 appearances last campaign, scoring one goal and registering four assists. He also played a part in the club keeping 11 clean sheets.
Lavia spent the entire season out through injury, missing 43 fixtures through various problems including hamstring and ankle issues, only managing one appearance in the 2023/24 season which lasted 32 minutes.
It's evident the future of Chelsea's midfield looks bright, however, and in Andrey Santos they have another option to slot in before too long.
Andrey Santos' loan spell so far
Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has returned to Strasbourg on loan for the 2024/25 campaign following a successful loan spell there for the 2023/24 season. Santos made 11 appearances in Ligue 1 last season, scoring one goal and contributing to two clean sheets.
The 20-year-old midfielder was signed from Vasco for around €20m (£16.8m) in January 2023, with the deal being agreed the month prior. The Brazilian youngster had already impressed, captaining his youth national team, and earning a senior call-up.
Impressively, Santos has scored two goals in his first two games this campaign, playing 180 minutes and proving to be a key figure in the Strasbourg side.
Santos vs Fernandez & Caicedo
Both Caicedo and Fernandez could be in trouble as Santos goes from strength to strength and offers an extremely complete midfield profile, described as a "superb" box-to-box midfielder by scout Jacek Kulig.
FBref's "similar players" feature compares Santos to Fernandez, as well as Arsenal midfielder, Declan Rice, which just shows the complete nature of this midfield profile.
So, how do they all compare? We've got the answer.
| How Santos compares | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stats (per 90 mins) | Santos | Fernandez | Caicedo | Rice |
| Goals | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Progressive Carries | 2.00 | 0.67 | 1.07 | 1.60 |
| Progressive Passes | 5.50 | 3.67 | 3.57 | 7.20 |
| Shots Total | 1.50 | 1.00 | 0.36 | 1.20 |
| Shots on Target | 1.00 | 0.33 | 0.00 | 0.40 |
| Key Passes | 2.50 | 1.00 | 0.36 | 0.80 |
| Tackles | 5.00 | 3.00 | 3.21 | 0.40 |
| Blocks | 1.00 | 0.67 | 1.79 | 0.80 |
| Interceptions | 0.50 | 0.00 | 2.14 | 1.20 |
| Stats taken from FBref |
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
These metrics are from the 2024/25 season so are based on minimal data so far. However, this really shows the strong start Santos has made in Ligue 1, coming out on top in six of the nine metrics assessed.
Santos has scored one goal per 90, scoring two in two so far, while also recording 1.50 shots, with one of those shots on target per 90 minutes. This goal threat is far superior to any of the other midfielders here, who haven't scored yet and also aren't known for their goalscoring qualities.
An area these midfielders are known for is their progressive passing and Santos is right up there for those metrics too, averaging 5.50, bettering the numbers of the Chelsea pair, and only 1.70 less than Rice.
Rice and Caicedo are well known for their defensive abilities, and Santos is actually averaging more tackles than both, with five per 90, compared to Rice's 0.40, and Caicedo's 3.21 per 90.
Mix this defensive output with his passing progression (also making 2.50 key passes, the most of all the midfielders here), and you can see why Santos is a hybrid of Fernandez and Rice, which could spell trouble for Caicedo if his form continues.
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