On one hand, business is far from over for Chelsea in the January transfer window, the window that is supposed to be closed in England. From the big old claims headlines down to the smaller one like Deivid Washington, one was quietly finding itself a crossroads of whose responsibilities define how far you go, as Garnacho and Mathys Tel did all the heavy lifting with their big old names.
The 19-year-old Brazilian striker, who came to Chelsea from Santos in 2023 for more than £17 million, is yet to return to the Central Bank, having already spent a year at his former club. Chelsea’s last attempt to rescue a deal that isn’t quite how they planned it is to make the move, which is believed to be close to completing before the deadline for the transfer of the Brazilian expires on February 28.
The question now is, will Washington thrive in his home country or will Chelsea take a heavy financial loss yet again on another disappointing signing?
Washington’s Rough Start at Chelsea
When describing Washington’s time at Chelsea, it’s not much deeper than that—a Thrones of the Orient mystery novel or a horror story — intriguing for a while then with a lot of people screaming, ‘What just happened?’
However, Washington was hyped up as a ‘highly rated’ talent from Brazil, but Chelsea barely put the Brazilian into their senior squad. Instead, he was outshoned by Donnell McNeilly, Jimmy Jay Morgan and the utterly scintillating Shumaira Mkeuka, who, at the very young age of 18, had already been trained by Enzo Maresca.
At the same time, Washington was unable to secure regular playing time in Washington. Whatever Mauricio Pochettino has lacked to leave his mark, he has not made his exit inevitable.
Why Santos? Why Now?
There is a football saying that if it’s not working in Europe, go back to Brazil and become a superstar. That’s not actually a saying, so Washington is about to find out if this theory holds true.
Third in the Copa Libertadores group stage last year, he is making his mark with the young Argentinian team that is competing in the South American Under-20 Championship and who has so far scored twice against Ecuador. If he can carry this form into the next Santos return, his career could do with a reset button.
Santos is no ordinary club, and so let’s not forget is the birthplace of legends like Pelé, Robinho and Neymar. And guess what? Now Washington will play with Neymar after he comes back to Santos. No pressure, right?
Chelsea’s Financial Gamble
Now, let’s talk numbers. In 2023, Washington was brought to Chelsea for an over £17 million splurge. Fast forward to 2024, and they are readying themselves to take the ball and ship him back. That’s one expensive loan experiment.
Chelsea can’t afford to commit another financial blunder. They are renowned for blowing vast amounts of cash like an Olympic billionaire on a Black Friday sale. As Washington’s value falls, they want to return to playing strong football at Santos to rekindle interest from European clubs. The Blues could be on the brink of another costly mistake if not.
And Chelsea fans? Oddly, they’ve seen this story before. It has been, to state the least, rather eventful. With the club’s vast transfer business that has seen Joao Felix arrive to play with Axel Disasi as a trio.
My Take on Washington’s Move
To me, Santos bringing Washington back is his last chance to be redeemed. However, with Chelsea, I have seen players come back in form from a hard start, but the club’s history with the young stars isn’t particularly rosy either. If he can regain the confidence in Brazil, it won’t be a complete lost cause. He may still have a future in Europe.
But if he can not step up, Chelsea fans could start to talk about him as “the £17 million mistake.”
Well, for now the ball is in Washington’s court, or at his feet. Hopefully he will finally be able to deliver.
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