Former Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit has used Andrey Santos' loan spell at Strasbourg as an example of the Blues making a mistake this season.

Santos has been in excellent form over in France for the Ligue 1 club, owned by BlueCo, where he has scored seven goals in all competitions this season. The 20-year-old has been the subject of plenty of speculation in recent days with Blues supporters calling for their club to recall the Brazilian from his loan spell in France.

Strasbourg is an option for Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka if he were to move on loan this month, football.london understands. However, the 21-year-old could only move to the French club on a temporary deal should Chelsea recall one of Santos, Djordje Petrovic or Caleb Wiley, with FIFA laws stating no more than three players can be on loan from one given club at a time.

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So, if Chelsea were to loan Chukwuemeka to Strasbourg, then they would need to recall one of the aforementioned three in order to do so. Petit, formerly of the Blues, has been mightily impressed with what he has witnessed from Santos in France this season and has instructed his old club to take a look at the midfielder's situation.

"Josh Acheampong looked really good, he's needed whilst Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile are injured," Petit said to DisCasino. "It's amazing how many central defenders Chelsea have but it's still the academy youngster who looks like he could be one of the best at the club.

"It's important for these young players to take their opportunities, especially at Chelsea. It makes the senior players check themselves, or their spots in the XI could be in danger.

"Players like Andrey Santos were let go and look at him now, he's scored multiple goals for Strasbourg in Ligue 1. He is shining in France. This is something Chelsea need to look at.

"They rely too much on Cole Palmer. You cannot be dependent on one player if you want to win the biggest prizes."

The plan at the moment is for Chelsea to take a look at Santos' situation when the season is over. football.london understands the Blues' plan all along was to loan the Brazilian out this season and assess his situation in the summer of 2025 - and see whether they want to keep him at Stamford Bridge for the 2025/26 campaign.