One Chelsea youngster has now stated that he approached Mauricio Pochettino directly to ask for a loan move away.
He told The Athletic that he had the confidence to approach the manager to ask him to his face to leave the club temporarily, with his wish being granted.
Chelsea saw a number of promising talents leave the club in January in an attempt to get them minutes and develop them into players capable of featuring for the first team.
As well as Andrey Santos, who has gone on to star for Strasbourg since being brought into the team, another player made the move to the Championship to get regular minutes.
Alex Matos starring on loan
Alex Matos made the move to Huddersfield Town, who have been very helpful in the past for the progress of Chelsea star Levi Colwill.
He has taken to life in the second tier well, and even impressed in his debut for his new club against Manchester City.
Despite already being handed his Chelsea debut by current manager Pochettino, Matos has now stated that he personally approached the boss to request a move away.
Matos told Pochettino he wanted loan move
He said: “Mauricio spoke to me a lot when I was at Chelsea. I have a good relationship with him and his coaching staff. I had a meeting with him in his office — it was my decision to go see him — and told him I wanted to go out on loan in January.
“I needed first-team minutes, to go out and prove myself. I wasn’t nervous about telling him at all. I needed to do it for myself and it was the best decision. I wanted to be honest with him, to tell it to him straight. He accepted and understood. He wants what is best for me.”
Considering the fact that he was named in the matchday squad for the majority of the first half of the season, it is realistic to say that the manager is an admirer of his work.
It remains to be seen if next season is too early for the youngster to make a more regular impact on the first team, however there is an expectation that he will have developed quite a lot in the six months away from Stamford Bridge.