Chelsea are reportedly already considering whether to recall Andrey Santos from his loan period with Nottingham Forest.
When the Blues signed the prospect from Vasco Da Gama at the turn of the year, they had hoped to immediately integrate him into the senior ranks.
However, a failed attempted to secure a work permit led to the Brazil international remaining in his homeland, where he continued to represent newly-promoted Vasco Da Gama.
Throughout the summer, it appeared that the 19-year-old was sufficiently impressing Mauricio Pochettino to earn a place in his first-team squad for 2023-24.
Instead, the addition of Lesley Ugochukwu effectively forced Santos out of the temporary exit door as he secured a season-long loan at Nottingham Forest.
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With the teenager having allegedly expressed a desire to bed into life in England's top flight and Forest seemingly pulling off a coup to win the race for Santos's signature, everyone appeared happy.
Since then, though, Santos's development has come to a standstill, his only outing for Forest being an appearance in a 1-0 defeat to Burnley in the EFL Cup.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea officials are toying with the idea of recalling Santos from his stint at the City Ground.
Chelsea inserted a break clause when negotiating the deal with Forest, while it is reported that the East Midlands outfit are incurring financial penalties when they do not play Santos.
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Nevertheless, club officials are eager to see progression on the pitch having won a hotly-contested race for a player who are fast-tracked onto the international stage by Brazil.
Santos has been an unused substitute in two of the last three Premier League squads, although he was ineligible from being named in the group to play his parent club before the international break.
While the report adds that there is time for Santos to win over head coach Steve Cooper, it would be a surprise if Chelsea did not consider a change in environment should Santos not be provided with regular game time.
With Chelsea currently well-stocked for central-midfield options, Santos is unlikely to be considered for a spot in Pochettino's squad from January onwards unless there are mounting injuries at the West Londoners.
Darren Plant
