Will Jadon Sancho finally fulfill his potential at Chelsea?
The English winger has the chance to show his worth in the Premier League once again
When Jadon Sancho left Manchester City as a teenager and joined Borussia Dortmund where he did big numbers as a young player which made him one of the most highly-rated young players. Many clubs were keen on signing while Sancho continued to produce big numbers.
Manchester United were heavily linked with the player and made a few attempts before they finally managed to sign him for a big sum from Dortmund in 2021. But his signing was overshadowed following Cristiano Ronaldo’s rejoining the club from Juventus.
But Sancho had a reason to prove himself as a young player a lot of hopes were placed on him to perform and live up to the price United paid for him. Sadly it never happened and he struggled to establish himself, things further became worse when he got into an altercation with Erik ten Hag that saw him banned from training and participating in any game.
What happened next is he was loaned to Borussia Dortmund this January where he once again managed to show his potential and led the club to the Champions League final where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid. Following his loan, Dortmund couldn’t buy him permanently and he returned to United.
It seemed like things became normal between Sancho and Ten Hag as he featured in United’s pre-season tour to USA and in the Community Shield final, where he missed a penalty. But the forward was not included in the United squad for the first two Premier League 2024-25 games.
During the 2024 transfer deadline day, it was confirmed that Chelsea had signed the forward on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy. Now Sancho will once again embark on a new journey but will he be able to fulfill his potential there?
Will Jadon Sancho succeed at Chelsea?
For Sancho, it will be another chance to reignite his career at Chelsea. In actuality, his time at Manchester United was far worse than expected, and during his loan to Borussia Dortmund, he displayed flashes of the talent that captivated Europe. But what can we actually expect from Chelsea now?
Chelsea have spent heavily under new owners and although Sancho is young and gifted, there would be a lot of expectations for him to perform right away.
The crucial question is, though: can he will be able to stand out on a squad loaded with offensive talent? There is not much room for error because Pedro Neto, Madueke, and Mudryk are fierce competitors. Furthermore, in the Premier League, time is of the essence—either you succeed or you fall behind.
At United, he fell behind and never bounced back despite having less competition for the starting spot, while at Chelsea there are a lot of options for new manager Enzo Maresca. Sancho is more comfortable playing on the left wing where the Blues have the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Christopher Nkunku and Neto.
Sancho will therefore need to show off his talent right away in order to avoid falling behind and turning into a shadow of his former self. Maresca will undoubtedly assist the player in establishing himself in the team, but Sancho must take into account his past in order to avoid repeating it and instead show the world what he has the potential of.
Sancho did provide the assist for Christopher Nkunku’s winner against Bournemouth in Premier League 2024-25 Gameweek 4 on his Chelsea debut.
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