Sancho-Sterling swap deal? Man Utd star would be a POINTLESS signing for Chelsea

Cameron Smith

Updated: 26 Aug 2024 17:16 BST
4 min read

Chelsea are reportedly targeting a move for Manchester United outcast Jadon Sancho and could offer Raheem Sterling in exchange for the Englishman.

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Like Sterling, Sancho hasn’t featured yet this season and he is expected to leave Old Trafford before the summer transfer window ends on 30 August.

Chelsea’s interest in the ex-Borussia Dortmund winger has gathered speed in recent days and they are now considering including Sterling in a swap deal bid, according to The Telegraph.

Sterling, 29, has been placed in Chelsea’s ‘Bomb Squad’ and he is currently training away from Enzo Maresca’s first-team squad.

An exit is deemed extremely plausible, with multiple clubs interested, and a move to Old Trafford appears to be on the cards, despite his past with Manchester City.

However, a Sancho-Sterling swap deal simply doesn’t make sense from Chelsea’s perspective.

Why Chelsea shouldn’t sign Jadon Sancho

First of all, Sancho has frankly been unable to translate his Bundesliga form to the Premier League ever since he joined Man Utd in 2021.

The 24-year-old has just 18 goal contributions in 83 games for the Red Devils, and although he impressed on loan at Dortmund last season, he’s never performed in the English top flight.

Meanwhile, Sterling is a proven commodity in the Premier League. His form has dipped since joining Chelsea and he’s no longer the same player he was at Man City, but Sterling is currently a better player than Sancho.

© IMAGO - Raheem Sterling is expected to leave Chelsea

He notched 12 goals and assists in the Premier League last season, despite tallying less than 2,000 minutes of action, and although he hasn’t lived up to expectations at Chelsea, he has still performed to a decent level.

Furthermore, data analytics experts SciSports also believe that Sterling is the superior player. The Chelsea man has a current SciSkill rating of 114.0, while Sancho clocks in at just 109.8.

Although Chelsea are eager to reduce the age of their playing squad, swapping Sterling for Sancho doesn’t make sense from a sporting point of view.

Furthermore, the Blues simply don’t need to sign a replacement for Sterling even if they sell him.

Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto, Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix, Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer and Tyrique George are all capable of playing out wide, while Nicolas Jackson could even be deployed on the left flank if Victor Osimhen arrives.

While there is an argument to be made that Sancho’s style of play would suit having quick players such as Jackson, Neto and Madueke around him, Chelsea already have Palmer to play the role as chief creator.

Current ETV

Jadon Sancho

M (RL), AM (L)

Man Utd

Jadon Sancho

M (RL), AM (L)

Man Utd

ETV Range

€31.2M - €52M

Sancho at his best may well have been able to force his way into the starting XI at Stamford Bridge, but he would struggle to even make the matchday squad as things stand.

As a result, swapping Sterling for Sancho would be a pointless move for Chelsea and would actually represent a step backwards for Maresca’s side.

Clearlake Capital love new signings, but this is a transfer Chelsea simply shouldn’t make.

Read more about: Premier League, Chelsea, Man Utd, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling