Sancho to Chelsea: Why Man Utd flop is heading for the Blues

Robin Bairner

• 30 Aug 2024 16:53 CDT
• 2 min read

Chelsea are set to complete a shock Deadline Day move for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho.

While the deal has not exactly come out of the blue – there have been rumours that Sancho would move to Stamford Bridge from credible sources of several days – there appears to be little rationale behind the deal.

DEADLINE DAY: Every confirmed transfer around Europe

After all, Chelsea are loaded with options in the wide areas, with deals for Joao Felix and Pedro Neto already completed this summer, so why snap up another attacking midfielder?

Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol has explained what the Blues’ thinking is behind the deal.

READ MORE: Latest Chelsea transfer news

‘Sancho too good to pass up’

"What it seemed Chelsea needed really was an out-and-out No.9. Well they haven't got the No.9 but they will almost certainly now be signing Jadon Sancho,” the transfer expert explained.

"The reason they have gone for Sancho is that it was too good a deal to turn down.

"There are people here at Chelsea who used to work with Sancho at Manchester City. They believe that while he has had problems at Manchester United, they believe that with a fresh start, they can bring the best out of him.

"Three years ago, Sancho was a player who moved from Borussia Dortmund to United for a fee of around £85m.

"They feel it is a risk worth taking and that he can get back to his best at Stamford Bridge this season, but of course he is going to have a fight on his hands to get into the side because they've got so many wide players."

Chelsea are getting value in Sancho – unlike many of the signings conducted under BlueCo.

There is a €30 million obligatory purchase clause in the deal, yet Sancho’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at over €41.5m and was once as high as €108.7m.

How he fits into the team is naturally going to be questionable, but there is no doubt that Chelsea have signed a very fine player if his potential can be unlocked.