Maresca threatens Sancho: Chelsea boss with clear message ahead of debut

Tom Weber

• Updated: 14 Sept 2024 16:39 BST
• 4 min read

Enzo Maresca has told Jadon Sancho that he must 'work properly' to see regular minutes at Chelsea ahead of his potential debut.

The former England star joined the Blues from Manchester United on Deadline Day after once again seemingly getting banished by Erik ten Hag. Last year, Sancho had a falling out with the Dutchman and, despite a supposed rapprochement in the summer, the winger clearly did not feature in the coach's plans.

Chelsea decided to rescue him from his Old Trafford nightmare despite already boasting a wealth of wide options. The west London giants saw the signing of Sancho as a potential opportunity.

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An initial loan deal, the transfer will become permanent if the Blues finish higher than 15th in the Premier League this term. Moreover, Chelsea will at most pay slightly less than €30 million for the 24-year-old, which is seen as great value for money.

If the attacker does not work out, the club are confident that they can shift him for a similar fee, so they view his arrival as low risk, high reward.

Maresca on Sancho

Sancho is in line to make his Chelsea debut against Bournemouth this weekend and Enzo Maresca has revealed what he told the player ahead of signing him.

“First of all I don’t consider Jadon a risk because I consider Jadon as a player who can help us,” Maresca said. “With the way we play, he is that kind of player to help us a lot, especially in the last third when we arrive there so many times and need more quality, more patience, more accuracy.

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“I love Jadon, I love the players we have. The reason Jadon is here is because I love him, otherwise he would not be here. I don’t have any idea about what happened with Erik [ten Hag]. I can just judge the player in the weeks he has been with us and he has been perfect.

“We have Jadon, Joao [Felix], these kind of players. Before they joined the club, I had a chat with them, and one of my messages to them was if you come here and don’t work properly then you are not going to play. Before they arrived, the message for them was clear. For Jadon, for Joao.

“But the reason why I’m speaking to you is because I really like you. If you come here in the way that we want, we are happy. But if you come there and don’t work hard, it’s better if you don’t come.”