It's a dream to play for Chelsea but I understand why I was allowed to leave the club

The latest Chelsea move as the Brazilian is on his fourth loan spell away from Stamford Bridge since joining in a £15 million deal in January last year

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has said that it is a ‘dream’ to break into the first team at Stamford Bridge and has outlined his plan to help him do so.

The Brazilian is currently on loan with Ligue 1 side Strasbourg where he has caught the eye with his performances so far. Despite playing prominently in a defensive midfield position, Santos has still scored three goals and provided one assist in his six games for the club so far.

His loan switch to the French club has already been more successful than his temporary move to Nottingham Forest last summer. The midfielder played for just seven minutes as a late substitute against Liverpool before returning to Chelsea in January.

He spent the second half of last season on loan at Strasbourg, eventually establishing himself as first choice for the final nine games of the season. It’s perhaps no surprise then that the Ligue 1 club were keen to sign him again in the summer.

Speaking to Brazilian outlet ge.globo, Santos has explained how his loan spell will help him to live his Chelsea ‘dream’. “I'm very happy to have returned to Chelsea and, now at Strasbourg, to have found my best performance, to have found my place in Europe, and to have shown my football to the whole of Europe,” he said.

"If I perform well [at Strasbourg], things will happen naturally. It's a dream to play for Chelsea. I understand that it's hard for a Brazilian to arrive and, right away, start playing for a big team in Europe."

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Santos is yet to make a first team appearance for the club. His only appearance in the squad last season was as an unused substitute in the season opener against Liverpool.

The 20-year-old now has 76 professional appearances under his belt, from his time with Vasco de Gama as well as his loan spells away from Chelsea. In those appearances, he has scored 17 times and provided one assist.

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