Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has suggested Cole Palmer is a better player than his Brazilian teammate Vinicius Jr.

When asked to rank players by TNT Sports Brasil, Santos favoured Palmer above the Real Madrid forward as well as PSG star Desire Doue.

However, when it came down to the final two options, Santos decided to pick former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva.

Not many Blues supporters would disagree with Santos’s choices, although some in Brazil may raise an eyebrow that he favoured Palmer over Vinicius Jr.

When will Palmer return to action?

The 23-year-old has taken to social media over the past week to suggest that he will be back in contention soon, but he has not been pictured in full training yet.

Palmer has been carrying a groin injury since the start of the season, and he was left out for the game against Fulham after experiencing discomfort during the warm-up before the 5-1 win over West Ham last month.

The attacking midfielder also pulled out of international duty and he remains a doubt heading into Saturday’s fixture versus Brentford.

Santos could have left Chelsea this summer

The Brazilian has spoken in several interviews since being called up for Brazil. There have been reports that Saudi Pro League side Al Qadsiah offered €70m (£60.6m) to sign him in recent weeks, and Santos has confirmed that he did receive an approach from the Middle East:

“The offer did arrive, but I immediately declined because of my dream and main goal, which is the World Cup. I know that being at Chelsea and in the Premier League gives me better chances than in Saudi Arabia. That was the main factor in my response to them.”

Santos is certainly keen to make an impression at Stamford Bridge and we shall see how he performs over the coming months.

Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here