"I'll be cheering!" – Chelsea midfielder sends message to teammates ahead of London derby with Fulham

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has issued an encouraging message to his new teammates ahead of his side's Premier League clash against Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Friday (February 3).

Santos, 18, secured a permanent move to the Blues from his boyhood club Vasco da Gama for a fee of around £18 million last month. Despite transfer interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Newcastle United, the Brazilian opted to join Graham Potter's youthful side.

Taking to Twitter, Santos posted a message ahead of the west London outfit's upcoming London derby against high-flying Fulham. He wrote:

"Always together, I'll be cheering!"

Santos, who penned a contract until June 2030 at Stamford Bridge, is currently in wait for his work permit to be approved. However, the Blues are confident that the teenager's work permit will be available on appeal in the coming weeks, according to Evening Standard.

Upon joining Chelsea, Santos revealed his excitement, saying:

"It's a very big opportunity for me. This is a big club playing in big competitions like the Premier League so I am very excited. The players here are so good and I am very happy to be here."

Prior to his recent transfer, Santos represented Vasco da Gama in 37 matches across all competitions, scoring eight goals in the process.

Santos is currently representing his national side at the South American Under-20 Championship, scheduled to conclude on February 12.

Paul Merson offers prediction for upcoming Chelsea-Fulham Premier League contest

In his column for Sportskeeda, former Arsenal forward Paul Merson shared his thoughts on Chelsea's summer transfer. He wrote:

"I think Chelsea will have to sell a lot of their players this summer. You can only have a squad of 26, and they'll have to trim it down. Some of the players on their way out will dig their heels in and want to be paid.

"It's all right to go bang-wallop-crash in the transfer market when you're beating the rules and not breaking them. But when you have a lot of players leaving, they're going to hold all the cards."

He then went on to predict a 2-0 victory for the Blues over Fulham on Friday:

"Don't ask me to name the Chelsea team in the Premier League this weekend. I know they lost the reverse fixture against Fulham a couple of weeks ago, but I thought they were the better team on the day. They need to get on a roll somewhere, and this is a good place to start. I expect Graham Potter's side to win this game."