Five reasons why Man Utd have signed Andrey Santos from Chelsea

Manchester United have began their midfield rebuild by signing Andrey Santos from Chelsea on a deal until June 2031 with a one-year option.

Casemiro’s exit and Manuel Ugarte’s knee injury means Man Utd need to add bodies in a key area this summer and Man Utd have identified the Brazilian as a player to bolster their options in that area of the pitch.

Santos leaves the Blues after a year back in west London following an impressive loan spell with Strasbourg, where he established himself as one of the best midfielders in France during an 18-month spell in Ligue 1.

The 22-year-old was tipped to challenge Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez for a starting spot at Stamford Bridge upon returning from his loan last summer. He made 27 appearances in the Premier League last season, 13 of which were from the outset, yet he struggled to consolidate a regular starting spot.

A talented player with experience beyond his years, the Brazilian will hope to play a bigger role for his new club in the upcoming season.

"I'm here to bring energy to compete, to win the ball, drive the team forwards and give everything for this club," Santos said to Man Utd's official club media. "I'm so happy to be here and now I'm going to make my name in the history of this big, big club."

Here are five reasons why Man Utd have signed him.

1. United’s need to reinforce their midfield

With an increase in game time as a result of qualification for the UEFA Champions League, United were always going to bring in new faces ahead of the 2026/27 season. That head coach Carrick favours a 4-2-3-1 set-up means it is of paramount importance to add strength in depth in such a key area.

Prior to Santos’ arrival, Kobbie Mainoo was the only senior central-midfield option available to Carrick. Ugarte is expected to be sidelined for a substantial chunk of the season after suffering a serious knee injury while playing for Uruguay at the FIFA World Cup, while Casemiro left after the end of his contract at the end of June.

Replacing the latter is vital. In his final season at Old Trafford, Casemiro was one of United’s most important players.

His 90 tackles were more than any other player for the club, and the veteran proved a handy attacking outlet when called upon. Only Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, who both scored 11 times, and Matheus Cunha (10) registered more Premier League goals than Casemiro's nine for Man Utd last season.

Of those nine, six were assisted by Bruno Fernandes. It was the best assist-to-goalscorer combination in the division. Finding someone to score these goals is vital. If Santos can replicate his 2024/25 Ligue 1 form, where he scored 10 times, he may just be the player to do so.

2. Ball winning and progressive passing

First and foremost - Santos is an effective ball winner. He needs to be to replace Casemiro in the middle of the park. Santos averaged a modest 2.7 tackles per 90 in the Premier League last season, a dip from the 3.5 tackles per 90 he made in the previous campaign with Strasbourg.

Granted, it’s a drop on Casemiro’s haul of 3.1 tackles per 90 but Santos makes up for this with the superior tackle-success rate. Indeed, Santos returned a 74 per cent success rate, a notable rise on Casemiro’s 64.3 per cent in the Premier League last season.

Watch: The best of Andrey Santos

Ground duels, a 50-50 contest between players on opposite teams, is another metric that Santos excels in. Of midfielders that registered at least 1,000 minutes of Premier League action last season, Santos’ 67.8 per cent ground duel success rate was the best in the division. The combative side to his game will be welcomed with open arms in Manchester.

Ground duel success rate among midfielders, 25/26

Midfielder Ground duel success rate (%) Andrey Santos (CHE) 67.8 Rodrigo Bentancur (TOT) 62.7 Amadou Onana (AVL) 62.6 Joao Palhinha (TOT) 62.5 Rodri (MCI) 62.2 Ethan Ampadu (LEE) 61.7

Additionally, Santos is measured in his efforts to win the ball back. Ugarte committed 2.1 fouls from tackles attempted per 90 in the Premier League last season. Casemiro fared slightly better with 1.3. Santos, meanwhile, committed just 0.6 fouls from tackles attempted per 90 in 2025/26. The number of free-kicks United concede should be halved, at least in theory anyway.

Santos' ability on the ball also stands out. United’s new man is an effective distributor once he regains possession, evident in that he ranked top for both passes per 90 (57.1) and had a superior pass-success rate (90.1 per cent) compared to United's three main central midfielders last season.

Santos v Man Utd midfielders, passes 25/26

Player Passes per 90 Pass success rate (%) Andrey Santos 57.1 90.1 Casemiro 55.5 81.3 Kobbie Mainoo 57.0 89.2 Manuel Ugarte 51.2 85.1

These aren’t passes for the sake of retaining possession either, but rather a need to set his side on the front foot.

3. Santos' arrival should benefit Fernandes

Fernandes benefitted from the freedom handed to him by Carrick. The Portuguese playmaker was given license to pry apart defences under Carrick, who certainly succeeded in freeing Man Utd's captain up.

Fernandes ended a record-breaking Premier League season top for assists (21 - a Premier League record), accurate through-balls (15), chances created (136) and big chances created (33). Having the creative star in possession in dangerous positions is essential.

And Santos is a player who will look to shift the ball forward to help his side transition from defence to attack. Admittedly, Santos doesn’t quite match Casemiro’s return of 19.7 forward passes per 90, but a return of 14.4 per 90 ranked better than both Mainoo (13.5) and Ugarte (13.0) in 2025/26.

Santos v Man Utd midfielders, forward passes per 90, 25/26

Player Forward passes per 90 Andrey Santos 14.4 Casemiro 19.7 Kobbie Mainoo 13.5 Manuel Ugarte 13.0

As the below graphic shows, Santos compares favourably to Man Utd's central midfield options for forward passes per 90 and overall pass accuracy rate.

And for a team where 28 per cent of attacks came through the middle of the pitch, the fourth-highest proportion in the Premier League last season, Santos’s willingness to not only rob opponents of the ball but play through the midfield, too, means United can continue to attack in the same way. It should allow Fernandes to flourish once more.

4. Press resistance

Another way United will attack through the middle is via the midfielders collecting the ball off the centre-backs. Carrick's side weren’t necessarily a team who looked to dominate opponents. A 51.6 per cent possession share ranked ninth in the Premier League.

Yet they’ll be able to dictate the tempo better with a press-resistant midfielder of Santos’s ilk willing to receive the ball off the back line. Centre-back Lisandro Martinez ranked top of all United players for passes per 90 (68.7) in the Premier League last season. Central defender Leny Yoro placed sixth (51.1) of those to register at least 1,000 minutes. They need a midfielder who is able to handle the pressure of both receiving the ball close to goal, and turning when in possession.

Santos does so to an extremely high standard, having been dispossessed just 0.1 times per 90 for Chelsea in the league last season, which compared very favourably to Casemiro, Mainoo and Ugarte.

Santos v Man Utd midfielders, possession dispossessed per 90, 25/26

Player possession dispossessed per 90 Andrey Santos 0.1 Casemiro 0.6 Kobbie Mainoo 1.7 Manuel Ugarte 1.1

Mainoo’s numbers are inflated in that he was the one tasked with bringing the ball forward, though even he was restricted by Casemiro’s desire to push forward. In fact, the addition of Santos should allow the England man to shine.

5. Mainoo is freed up

Mainoo’s best quality is his ability to drive possession forward. Despite only coming into the side for the second half of the campaign, Mainoo ranked third for completed take-ons (19) of all United players in the Premier League last season. He needs a player who is willing to sit deeper and shield the defence in order to thrive.

Santos should do so to a high standard. United expert Andy Mitten posted on X that one of the reasons the club like Santos is due to his “amazing football brain”. That will be music to Mainoo's ears.

The 21-year-old has, at times, been restricted in his efforts to bring the ball forward in central areas.

Santos’s defensive diligence should free up Mainoo to link the midfield and attack and allow the England man to truly flourish next season.

Man Utd's move for Santos caught many off-guard. However, it’s one that benefits the midfielders at Carrick’s disposal. He should prove a shrewd addition.

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