Manchester United are set to complete the signing of Andrey Santos from Chelsea in a deal worth £50 million. 

United moved quickly to sign the Chelsea midfielder after missing out on top target Mateus Fernandes, who moved to Spurs. 

Despite having deals in place to sign Santos and also Ederson from Atalanta, United are still in the market for a marquee midfield signing. Many hoped that Aurélien Tchouaméni would have been the player United signed to fit that profile.

The Frenchman has now, however, reached an agreement with Real Madrid to sign a new contract at the Bernabéu. 

However, in Santos, United are getting a player who can develop into a world-class midfielder and can become a prominent figure in United’s midfield for the next decade. In a market that is heavily inflated, United needed to be creative. They have done that by signing Santos, and at a very reasonable price, too. 

Santos was signed by Chelsea from Brazilian outfit Vasco de Gama in 2023. Interestingly enough, Christopher Vivell, United’s current Head of Recruitment, was at Chelsea when they signed Santos. 

After an unsuccessful loan spell at Nottingham Forest, he spent 18 months on loan in France, and his second season in particular was very impressive. He was the heartbeat of Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg team, captaining them on multiple occasions and even scoring 11 goals in all competitions that season. 

Santos won Ligue 1 young player of the year for his performances during the 2024/25 season, beating the likes of Desire Doué, Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, Joao Neves and Warren Zaïre-Emery to the award. 

Santos returned to Chelsea last summer, making a total of 47 appearances in all competitions, including 13 Premier League starts. While Chelsea did endure a poor season, they had Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in midfield, two players of immense quality, which meant Santos’ game time was limited. 

In search of more game time, Santos reportedly requested a move away from the Londoners and is now bound for Old Trafford. 

While there have been many misconceptions surrounding the Brazilian since he agreed to join United, Santos is a pass-first midfielder, which is a profile United desperately needed. 

One of Santos’ biggest strengths is his ability to play line-breaking passes. Casemiro’s ability to progress the ball from deep areas was one of his most valuable qualities.

Adam Wharton was the only midfielder in the Premier League last season who played more line-breaking passes per 100 passes than Casemiro. United needed to sign a midfielder this summer capable of replicating that. They have done that by signing Santos. 

According to data from The Athletic, Santos averaged 15 line-breaking passes per 100 passes in the Premier League last season, which is more than the likes of Rodri (14.6) and United’s previous top target, Mateus Fernandes (13.7). Casemiro averaged 16.3. 

A lot of his line-breaking passes are short to medium-range passes. He is very precise, often threading it between multiple opposition players. He is very comfortable receiving the ball between the lines with his back to goal, turning and passing forward, but is also very good when facing play. This means he could quite comfortably drop into a back three in build-up, which would allow for more positional fluidity. 

His passing range isn’t the most expansive, and that is something he needs to improve, but he is a player who consistently looks to play short, quick forward passes.

He also sometimes plays bounce passes back to the centre-backs, and he likes to make short vertical runs forward to disorganise the press and make himself available to receive the ball higher up the pitch. He also keeps the ball quite well. He is a player who is very involved in build-up and doesn't shy away from asking the centre-backs for the ball in tight spaces.

While he probably is more of a No. 6, he can also play as a No. 8 and as a No. 10. As already mentioned, he scored 11 goals in all competitions for Strasbourg during the 2024/25 season.

He is a threat from set-pieces, but also is good at arriving in the right moments in the penalty box. His ability to play intricate passes could also be a real asset in and around the box against teams that play in a deep-block and try to deprive United of space. 

Out of possession in the high-press, he is very aggressive. He follows his man with great intensity and doesn't give him any time or space on the ball. He is dominant in duels as well. Last season in the Premier League, he won an impressive 62% of ground duels. During the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season, he won 66.7% of his ground duels.

That said, he isn't the best at covering loads of ground and defending large spaces. In smaller spaces, though, he is very intelligent and anticipates passes well, which allows him to win back possession in such situations. 

Santos and Kobbie Mainoo could definitely play together, although there are certainly limitations to such a midfield pivot, particularly out of possession.

On the ball, Santos, being a pass-first midfielder, complements Mainoo very well, as the Carrington graduate is more of a ball-carrier rather than a passer. Both of them are very comfortable receiving the ball in deep areas and advancing it.

Santos would likely sit deeper, which would allow Mainoo the freedom to move into the final third, where he can be very dangerous. The only issue is neither of them has a particularly expansive passing range. Santos is great at playing low-driven line-breaking passes, but doesn't switch the play or play balls over the top very often.

Both players excel in small spaces, which would allow United to take risks in build-up against aggressive high-presses and also help in the final third against deep blocks.

Out of possession is where the main problems lie with such a midfield pivot. While Santos wins many duels, as already mentioned, he isn't an elite ground coverer and struggles to defend in open space. Mainoo, himself, would be best next to a player who does have such attributes.

In terms of defending in a mid-block with tight spacing, they could definitely work together. However, in games which are more open and demand midfielders to cover a lot of ground, United could be left vulnerable with Santos and Mainoo in the middle of the park.

While there are question marks around certain aspects of Santos' game, this is still a very intelligent piece of business by United. To sign a player of his profile, quality and age for £50 million is very good value for money in this current market.