Chelsea youngster Andrey Santos ‘will be eligible to play for the Blues after Brazilian wonderkid FINALLY has work permit approved’

Brazilian teenager Andrey Santos will be allowed to play for Chelsea in the Premier League after having his work permit approved, according to reports. 

Santos was signed in a £18million deal from Vasco da Gama in January but did not meet the work permit criteria at the time and returned to his former club on loan.

After seeing out the remainder of the season in Brazil, Santos has since returned to west London and continued training with the Blues ahead of his work permit application. 

And now, according to Ben Jacobs, the Brazilian will be eligible to feature in the English top-flight after Chelsea had their application approved by the FA. 

The 19-year-old already had a visa to join Chelsea in pre-season in the United States, where he featured in the Blues’ opening pre-season fixture. 

Chelsea youngster Andrey Santos (right) has finally had his work permit application approved 

The 19-year-old midfielder initially joined Chelsea in January but missed out on obtaining his visa by one point after applying through FIFA

Santos played 63 minutes as Mauricio Pochettino’s side cruised to a 5-0 victory over League Two hopefuls Wrexham in North Carolina. 

When Santos first joined Chelsea, he missed out on obtaining his visa by one point after applying through FIFA.

When asked about his work permit issues whilst on international duty, Santos replied: ‘I knew I had some chances of not playing [for Chelsea]. 

‘I was confident, but unfortunately I didn’t make it. Life goes on. To be honest, I didn’t know [the requirements] I needed.

‘As far as I know, I need to play in Serie A and I need to go to the Under-20s World Cup. I’m pretty calm. I’m doing my best at my club to achieve my goals.’

During Chelsea’s pre-season clash with Wrexham, as noted by Mail Sport’s KATE MCGREAVY, Santos was disciplined in his central defensive midfield role and was never shy to get on the ball to try to dictate play.

The 19-year-old was seen as a wonderkid in his homeland of Brazil before the Blues beat Manchester City and Newcastle to his signature. 

Pochettino worked with Santos on his positional play in a tactically-focused open training session 24 hours before and he responded well to what was asked of him.

The youngster caught attention after stunning performances in Brazil for Vasco da Gama

Santos has already proved he has experience beyond his years after making his debut for the Brazilian national team in March this year. 

Reflecting on his time so far with the Brazil senior squad, the central midfielder said: ‘It is an incredible experience. A dream come true, I’m very happy.

‘I feel at home, they welcomed me very well. Being at Casemiro’s side, at the side of an idol, is a dream for me. I’m living a dream, and it’s helping me a lot.

‘And I hope to be able to reciprocate his help on the field and the experience he gave me too.’