Why Chelsea face Andrey Santos delay, mystery of Mykhailo Mudryk’s updated contract… and striker’s price is named: CHELSEA CONFIDENTIAL

Chelsea and Strasbourg have agreed to wait until the end of the season before deciding what to do with Andrey Santos, after a loan spell in which he turned into a young force in French football.

Sources say nothing is finalised regarding the 20-year-old Brazilian’s future despite it being widely assumed – certainly in the social media sphere – that he will spend next term at Stamford Bridge after wowing supporters of their sister club.

There is a strong chance that could happen, of course, as Chelsea have been impressed while following his development closely under Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior.

However, it is understood the final decision is being delayed until the unknowns become known, namely once it is confirmed which European competition each club are playing in next season.

Santos’ progress will be paramount in whatever call is made this summer. Of all the midfielders in Ligue 1, nobody has made more tackles than him this term, and he is second only to Auxerre’s Hamed Traore, on loan from Bournemouth, for goals scored.

Chelsea’s co-owner Behdad Eghbali was in Strasbourg on Saturday to watch their 2-2 draw with Nice – a game in which Santos assisted both goals – and the billionaire met briefly with representatives from the club’s hardcore fan group Ultra Boys 90. 

That was seen as an opportunity for Eghbali to explain his commitment to some of his BlueCo ownership group’s harshest critics. 

Chelsea’s co-sporting director Laurence Stewart also visited on March 28 for the French club’s 4-2 win over Lyon – a victory in which Santos scored the opener – as he held several meetings with his Strasbourg counterparts on multiple matters.

You imagine that included the complicated possibility of both clubs qualifying for the same European competition, with each sitting sixth in their respective leagues.

If that happens, the plan is for any conflicting shares in Strasbourg to be placed into a blind trust so that the clubs can independently adhere to UEFA’s rules.

Confidential has also been told the same stipulations which applied this season to Manchester City and Girona – the two City Football Group clubs in the Champions League – and Manchester United and Nice – the pair of INEOS teams in the Europa League – would be in place for BlueCo.

Most notably, that would mean: Chelsea and Strasbourg would not be able to transfer players to one another, either on loan or permanently, directly or indirectly, for an extended period, with the exception of any pre-existing agreements; they would not be permitted to share scouting arrangements or player data with one another; and essentially, nobody would be allowed to be simultaneously involved in any capacity whatsoever at both clubs.

Those stipulations were checked with UEFA and they confirmed that is their current understanding.

As it stands, Santos will return to Chelsea when his season-long loan with Strasbourg ends, but we will need to wait to find out the next step for this sizzling starlet.

Striker closer to West Ham than Chelsea and others

Multiple clubs across Europe are in for Jonathan David, though West Ham are currently leading the race out of the English sides interested in the Lille forward.

Chelsea have long been linked with the 25-year-old whose contract with his French club is close to expiring, leaving him available on a free this summer.

Since joining Lille, David has scored 107 goals in 227 games, including strikes in this season’s Champions League versus Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. It will not help West Ham that they cannot offer him any form of European football.

This is unlikely to be the last time we hear of Chelsea facing competition from West Ham in the transfer market, mind. One reason is Chelsea’s recruitment specialist Kyle Macaulay resigned earlier this season in order to be reunited with Graham Potter. Another is West Ham need to lower the average age of their squad as it is one of the oldest in the Premier League – second only to Everton – and so they are fishing in similar ponds for youngsters.

Kepa is a keeper for Bournemouth… but they fear he’s a wanted man

Confidential was at Bournemouth’s 1-0 win over Fulham at the Vitality Stadium on Monday night. The away supporters spent much of the match chanting ‘Chelsea reject’ at Kepa Arrizabalaga, only for the goalkeeper on loan to be named man of the match over the tannoy.

Bournemouth want to sign the 30-year-old permanently this summer, and they are set to speak with Chelsea and Arrizabalaga’s camp to try to get that deal done.

However, insiders at the Vitality say they are preparing for every eventuality. That includes seeing which other goalkeepers are available in case they are unable to get Arrizabalaga, given his form in helping the Cherries towards European qualification contendership under Andoni Iraola has triggered interest in him from elsewhere in England and Europe.

Iraola was a key factor in Arrizabalaga choosing Bournemouth last summer as they crossed paths previously at Athletic Bilbao. They want to hand him a new deal also.

Arrizabalaga extended his Chelsea contract from 2025 to 2026 last year in order to make his loan to Bournemouth a possibility, and ideally, the Blues want to sell him permanently this summer.

Caicedo is a no-go amid Saudi interest

Moises Caicedo has been revealed as an ambitious transfer target for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, the cushty retirement home of Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, Chelsea sources say there is ‘zero chance’ that they will entertain selling the 23-year-old, who is now one of the Premier League’s best players and under contract until 2031, with the option of an additional year. He cost £115million when he joined from Brighton in 2023.

Maresca’s Sanchez dilemma for Fulham

Enzo Maresca has told us enough times that if players do not follow his instructions, they will find themselves in the wilderness, away from Chelsea’s line-up. It was only in February that he warned his second-choice goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen he would axe him if he played a ‘long ball’, after all.

It will be interesting to see if Maresca opts to stick with Robert Sanchez for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Fulham, therefore, given the controversy of their weekend clash with Ipswich.

Sanchez launched a goal-kick long against Ipswich when the plan was to play it short, and the visitors scored from that to make it 2-0. Maresca admitted after the 2-2 draw that his first-choice goalkeeper had been affected by the Stamford Bridge atmosphere as fans showed their frustration with the team trying to pass from the back.

Maresca dropped Sanchez earlier in the season to take him away from the Premier League spotlight during an iffy spell, but when he brought him back in place of Jorgensen last month, he intended on that being that until they could reassess in the summer.

Chelsea’s head coach now faces a dilemma over whether to stick with Sanchez or follow his own strong warnings previously that he will axe players who do not do as told.

TIMELINE OF THAT IPSWICH GOAL:

29mins 2secs – Chelsea have a goal kick. Levi Colwill is taking it and signals to his team-mates to come closer to their own box. The fans show their frustration with that after growing tired of seeing them persistently try to play their way out of the back. Colwill takes it short to Sanchez and Chelsea lose the ball while trying to pass their way around Ipswich.

29mins 21secs – Jens Cajuste shoots wide for Ipswich as Chelsea have another goal kick.

29mins 57secs – Chelsea’s fans are now highly frustrated and jeering as Colwill comes over to take the goal kick. Sanchez tells him to leave his area and orders everyone to push up the pitch as he intends on launching it long. He does so.

30mins 13secs – However, Ipswich win possession easily. They counter at speed, Julio Enciso crosses, and Ben Johnson scores. Chelsea’s players complain to one another.

Suspended Mudryk and the mysterious ‘updated contract’ with Chelsea

The Football Association published their annual document on Monday detailing the transactions completed by every club in England between February 2, 2024 and February 3, 2025. That not only included transfers in and out, but any contracts improved internally.

Studying those submitted by Chelsea, we knew a fair few. Cole Palmer: updated contract. Nicolas Jackson: updated contract. Tyrique George: updated contract. No surprises there.

But then there was Mykhailo Mudryk: updated contract. That, we did not know.

Following checks, Confidential is not at liberty to reveal what was specifically updated in the Ukrainian’s deal but we can say it seems to have been nothing major – merely an administrative tweak. The 24-year-old winger is still suspended from football after failing a doping test, and has not played for Chelsea since a Conference League clash away at Heidenheim in November 2024.

Raheem rumours are exactly that for now

Neither Raheem Sterling nor his camp have had it communicated to them by Arsenal that he will not be signed permanently after his season-long loan expires, despite such speculation.

No conversations have been held between the relevant parties in relation to next campaign as the focus right now is only on their respective run-ins. As far as Sterling is aware, no decision has yet been reached on his future. While it is entirely possible the 30-year-old will return to Chelsea this summer, confirmation will not come until the end of the season once talks have taken place.

Chelsea’s £30m asking price for Broja too high for Everton

Everton are not currently planning on turning Armando Broja’s loan into a permanent move unless Chelsea show a willingness to budge on his £30million cost.

That is the value of the buy option which was inserted into his temporary switch to Goodison Park.

Injuries have held Broja back from ever showing he is worth such a sizeable financial commitment this summer. Manager David Moyes will have a heavy say in any transfer decisions made, and Everton are currently scouring the market for a new forward.

The bonus for Broja is he still has time to try to persuade Everton into adding him to their striker shortlist with six games to go until the season’s end, but as of today, £30m is above their own valuation of the 23-year-old.

Good-guy Sancho

Whether Chelsea will sign Jadon Sancho permanently or pay a penalty to send him back to Manchester United, that is undecided, but I liked seeing how he was the only player who diverted his route towards the tunnel last week to speak with two fans in wheelchairs.

That was before the 2-2 draw versus Ipswich. It’s nice to see a footballer show his kind side every so often. It cost him nothing, but will have meant a great deal to those supporters, I’m sure.

Chelsea Women spend £622k on agents’ fees

Chelsea Women were (unsurprisingly) well ahead of the other WSL teams in terms of fees spent on player agents this season. For the first time ever, the Football Association revealed the women’s clubs’ transactions with intermediaries, and Chelsea’s total stood out.

The Blues accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the entire league’s spending, with a total of £622,604 – much more than the next highest spenders Manchester City on £288,628. The WSL spent a combined total of £2.1million meanwhile.

With the arrival of world-record signing Naomi Girma and Barcelona playmaker Keira Walsh in January, following a busy summer that saw seven new players join the club, it’s no surprise that the reigning champions have continued to strengthen their squad.

Still competing in three competitions, they’ve already claimed the League Cup last month and secured their place in the FA Cup final with a victory over Liverpool this past weekend.

Eboue debuts for Chelsea

I reported in November 2024 how Chelsea were set to add yet another promising prospect to their academy in Mathis Eboue, the 15-year-old son of former Arsenal and Ivory Coast right back Emmanuel who was highly rated within Watford’s youth set-up.

Last week saw Eboue make his first appearance as he came on as a substitute for the Under 16s after overcoming a lengthy injury. The teenaged attacker had been playing in higher age groups at Watford, including their Under-21s, for whom he had scored at the age of 15.

Chelsea pull a Victor Anichebe

Always nice when Victor Anichebe can add a new friend to the club. It was in 2016 when Anichebe posted one of those mundane footballer messages that we all see on social media after games, except he forgot to remove the initial line: ‘Can you tweet something like…’

Well, Chelsea had something of a moment like that on Wednesday, too. A message from the club was sent to more than 200,000 people via the ‘Chelsea FC Matchday Information’ WhatsApp channel. Its purpose was to remind fans that home tickets cannot be sold on to Legia Warsaw supporters and that if anyone is caught doing so, they will face sanctions.

However, the initial version sent into the sphere included an intro which was not supposed to be included. It was all innocent, no harm done, soon corrected, and if anything, I’m glad Anichebe, now 36 and retired, has a pal.

Warning: Metropolitan Police on patrol

The Metropolitan Police are ready to act decisively – their words, not mine – if anyone shows any intent in causing trouble when Legia Warsaw face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.

They’re a lively bunch, the ultras of the Polish club, and we’re told there will be an increased police presence in place for the Conference League quarter-final second leg.

That is despite Legia only being handed 1,021 tickets, including 60 for wheelchair users and their companions, after a decision made by the Safety Advisory Group. The away side are angry that they were not heard in negotiations when their away allocation was slashed.