Chelsea winger Angelo Gabriel has been ruled out for the rest of the season by Strasbourg head coach Patrick Vieira (via L’Equipe).
After suffering a hernia problem at the start of March the club announced he would be out for a month, but it has since become clear that he needs more recovery time.
The absence of the Brazilian winger leaves a gaping hole in Strasbourg’s ranks. Even though the end product is lacking, he has been superb for Les Alsaciens this season.
It has been a decent first season in Europe for Angelo despite failing to score and registering only three assists in 21 Ligue 1 appearances. His dribbling has been useful in unlocking opposition defences, and he will hope to make further progress next season.
Angelo will most likely return to Chelsea for treatment, but he could be back at Strasbourg next season to continue his development.
Chelsea owners BlueCo bought the French club to serve as a development pipeline, and it looks like the 19-year-old will continue there.
Fellow Brazilian Andrey Santos will continue with him at Strasbourg as Chelsea look to get them used to European football.
Santos returned from an unsuccessful loan spell with Nottingham Forest in January, and Chelsea decided to send him to France to continue his halted development.
Despite struggling for game time initially, Santos has begun to put together some impressive shifts in the middle of the park. His last three performances have been terrific, earning him a Ligue 1 Young Player of the Month nomination.
In his last game against Toulouse, Santos recorded 88% passing accuracy, winning 11 out of 13 duels, making four interceptions and four tackles while winning four fouls.
That performance was reminiscent of his manager Vieira when he bossed midfield proceedings for Arsenal and France in his prime.
Santos will look to learn more from his boss when he returns to France for the 2024/24 campaign.
