Sterling OUT, Sancho IN: Chelsea celebrate major transfer win

Cameron Smith

• 8 Oct 2024 15:45 BST
• 4 min read

Enzo Maresca has made several bold decisions since arriving at Chelsea and he’s been extremely ruthless in the process.

The Italian has overseen a summer of change regarding his playing squad, with 11 new arrivals and 25 players departing the club either permanently or on loan.

Maresca has been forced to deal with significant upheaval at Stamford Bridge since he joined the club and several players were brutally cast aside by the ex-Leicester City boss this summer.

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Chelsea created a ‘Bomb Squad’ for all unwanted players, and the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah were all able to secure moves away from the club after being placed on the ‘for-sale’ list.

Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka were unable to find new clubs, however, and are set to leave in January, but Raheem Sterling was able to escape thanks to a last-minute loan move to Arsenal.

The ex-England international was told to leave by Maresca and after weeks of exit rumours, Sterling was handed a lifeline by his former Manchester City assistant manager Mikel Arteta.

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Since moving across London, Sterling has been unable to usurp Gabriel Martinelli as Arsenal’s first-choice left winger, though.

The 29-year-old scored once and grabbed one assist during a routine 5-1 win over Bolton in the Carabao Cup, but he is yet to register a goal contribution in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, he was an unused substitute during Arsenal’s 2-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and it’s clear that Martinelli remains Arteta’s preferred option.

Sterling’s replacement at Chelsea, however, has been extremely impressive since his move to west London.

Jadon Sancho at Chelsea

Jadon Sancho hasn’t exactly torn things up for Chelsea and he can certainly still improve, but his start to life with the Blues has certainly been eye-catching.

The 24-year-old joined the club on loan from Manchester United on Transfer Deadline Day, and the deal will become permanent if Chelsea finish 14th or higher in the Premier League table this season.

Sancho provided an assist in each of his first three Chelsea appearances, while he also played a role in Noni Madueke’s second-half equaliser against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

The former England winger had displayed glimpses of his true potential at Chelsea and he already appears to have the full trust of Maresca, with Mykhailo Mudryk, Pedro Neto and Joao Felix among those forced to watch on from the bench.

Chelsea will pay around €30 million to make Sancho’s loan move permanent next summer and given his form, age profile and suitability to a Maresca system, that fee could well be a bargain.

Furthermore, considering Sterling’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) currently stands at €46.1m, Chelsea will likely make a profit from selling Sterling next year and signing Sancho on a permanent deal.