Why Man United fans think Chelsea have ‘scammed’ them for £50m, ‘a waste of money’
Finishing in tenth place meant Chelsea did not qualify for European competition this season, and it forced Xabi Alonso to be ruthless. The club needed major sales.
Obviously, Enzo Fernandez was the club’s biggest sale, raking in £125m. Then there was Marc Cucurella and Nicolas Jackson, both leaving the club for more than £50m. Liam Delap also left for a similar fee.
Andrey Santos’ full skill set wasn’t utilised at Chelsea 😔
Andrey Santos was one of the club’s earliest sales. The decision to cash in on the Brazil international for an initial £48m was met with criticism from Chelsea fans, especially after his form under Liam Rosenior.
Man United fans think they have overpaid for Andrey Santos
Michael Carrick wanted to revamp his midfield in the summer, and he certainly did that. Santos was the first building block, but he might not have expected United to sign two more big-money midfielders.
United then bought Youri Tielemans, a different midfielder to Santos but one that would still push the Brazilian down the pecking order. Then, a real kick in the teeth. Man United have signed Carlos Baleba.
Santos has endured a difficult start at Old Trafford, and Jamie Redknapp has already questioned the decision to sign him. For Brazil, onlooking Man United fans were not impressed, questioning his fee.
“Chelsea have scammed us” was one verdict from a Man United fan watching Santos play for Brazil against India on Saturday. Despite the quality of the opponent, it was clear Santos was not at his best.
Another said: “You can see he is doing his best, but his best is just average tbh”, while one fan suggested others are better than Santos: “£50m for a backup is insane when the real talent is getting pushed aside.”
Plenty of criticism for Santos, and frustration at their club for agreeing to pay £50m for the midfielder. One fan summed it up, posting that from the off, he believed Santos was “the biggest waste of money”.
Has Santos been playing poorly for Man United?
The truth is, Santos has not really been given much of a chance. The former Strasbourg and Nottingham Forest star has been afforded less than 100 minutes in the Premier League, starting only once for United.
That came against Hull City on the opening day, before Baleba was signed. But Santos has lost his place in the line-up even before Baleba returns from injury, remaining unused in the last two league games.
He did start against Brighton in the Carabao Cup, but Santos was subbed off after 66 minutes as Brighton came from 2-0 down to win 3-2. FotMob have given him an average rating of 6.62 this season.
As things stand, that makes him United’s 11th-best player this season. For £50m, that isn’t good enough. Have Chelsea got a good deal for Santos? It is too early to tell, but so far, it would seem the answer is yes.
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