Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is missing out on multiple fronts due to a ‘verbal agreement’ made by co-owner Todd Boehly during the summer. Andrey Santos’ loan move to Nottingham Forest is off to a poor start, and to rub salt in the wounds, the Blues could have landed Paris Saint-Germain youngster Bradley Barcola if they sent him to France instead.
Barcola was a player in demand at the end of the summer window. Chelsea showed an interest, but the 21-year-old eventually ditched Lyon for PSG after a £39million fee was agreed.
Boehly and co may have made progress towards the signing of Barcola if they were able to offer Andrey Santos on loan. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Lyon were keen to bring the player on board for the season ahead, but Chelsea had already ‘verbally agreed’ to send him to Forest.
That effectively put the brakes on Barcola’s move to west London, and his talent is already drawing compliments from PSG boss Luis Enrique.
After performing well in the 4-0 win over Marseille on Sunday, the Spaniard said of Barcola: “He’s top. I love all his skills. It’s wonderful to coach a player like that.”
Not only have Chelsea suffered the misery of missing out on such a talent, but choosing Forest as Santos’ loan destination is a decision that looks worse as the weeks go on. Now six games into the season, the Brazilian is yet to make a single Premier League appearance.
Although there is still time for Santos to work his way into Cooper’s starting XI at Forest, the early signs are not positive. The Blues may never know how the campaign would have panned out if they loaned him out to Lyon instead.
Concerns surrounding their on-loan youngsters is the last thing Chelsea need at present, with manager Mauricio Pochettino pouring all of his effort into turning around results on the pitch. Sunday’s defeat to Aston Villa marked the third successive game in which the Blues failed to score.
