According to UOL Esporte, Chelsea youngster Nathan might be nearing his last days at Atlético Mineiro.
His loan spell, which is supposed to last until June, has not gone well, and he is one of the players on the list of names who are likely to be out of the club after the Brazilian Serie A season ends this weekend (Atletico Mineiro are currently 6th, with one match to play).
Nathan perde espaço no Atlético-MG, e sequência em 2019 é colocada em xeque https://t.co/liRJszQmHF
— UOL Esporte (@UOLEsporte) November 29, 2018
Nathan’s last appearance for Atlético-MG was a 12-minute appearance from the bench in a scoreless draw against local rivals América on October 14. He has not made a single appearance under new head coach Levir Culpi, who has held the managerial post since October 17.
The club are looking to trim their squad, which has made Nathan expendable. Most of Atlético’s attacking midfielders have been in good form, with Ecuadorian international Juan Cazares leading their efforts.
UOL’s report says that since Chelsea are not really interested in bringing Nathan back to the club, it’s likely that he would simply be released, but Nathan does have another year and a half left on his Chelsea contract, so it’s likely that we’ll try to find him yet another loan opportunity to find the success that has eluded him every since signing with Chelsea in 2015. He’s had spells at Vitesse, SC Amiens, and Belenenses before going back to Brazil six months ago. Once a promising Brazil U20 international, Nathan’s career seems to have completely stalled at 22.