Chelsea are expected to turn Jadon Sancho's loan from Manchester United into a permanent summer swoop but the winger has found things tough since the turn of the year
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Jadon Sancho during Arsenal vs Chelsea
Questions have been asked about Jadon Sancho's long-term future
(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Chelsea loanee Jadon Sancho has struggled for consistency at Stamford Bridge. Questions have been asked about the winger's long-term future, but he has certainly impressed manager Enzo Maresca with his efforts in training.
Sancho joined on a season-long loan from Manchester United over the summer, and Chelsea are almost certain to finish high enough in the table to trigger a permanent purchase. The 24-year-old is without a goal or assist since January, though, prompting questions about what he can offer going forward.
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Former Chelsea star William Gallas argued Sancho "can't stay" at Stamford Bridge. He suggested the Blues saw the Borussia Dortmund version of Sancho early on before his output fell away, arguing a starting winger at a club competing for Champions League football needs to do more.
Sancho started against Arsenal on Sunday, but neither he nor his team-mates was able to trouble David Raya during a 1-0 defeat. It has emerged that Enzo Maresca's side can pay Manchester United a fee to get out of their £25million obligation to buy, and Gallas believes that might be the best move.
Maresca was the one in charge when Chelsea forced through their summer move for Sancho, though. And, unless the Italian's feelings have changed, he appears to be a fan of the player's efforts in training above all else.
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"Very happy, very happy for him. He was very good," Maresca said in September when discussing Sancho. "I have a feeling that Jadon is a guy that needs love. This is what I thought when I spoke with him before he joined us.
"Also I know he has the desire to show the player he is, but for me, it is just to enjoy football. This is the reason why they play."
Enzo Maresca after Arsenal vs Chelsea
Enzo Maresca was impressed by Sancho's early efforts in training(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Gallas isn't the only one to question Sancho's future. John Obi Mikel, a Premier League and Champions League winner with the Blues, has been left frustrated in part due to the quality the winger showed before those big performances dried up.
"Jadon Sancho, he’s come on, and he’s deceived us with a couple of games," Mikel said on his Obi One podcast in February. "We thought, ‘Oh, f*****g hell, now we’re getting the Jadon Sancho from Dortmund.’ But he’s gone again. I don’t know what’s happened to Jadon. He’s disappeared. Off the grid. He takes the ball. He doesn’t go past people any more. He doesn’t create chances anymore. He doesn't help the team as much as he should be.
Jadon Sancho during Crystal Palace vs Chelsea
Sancho's last assist came against Crystal Palace in January
(Image: PA)
Sancho has started the last two league games, but that could change after the international break. Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson are all in contention to return, with Maresca talking up the trio after Sunday's defeat.
"It makes a huge difference. The three players with the most goals for us were not on the pitch today," he said. "It’s normal offensively we can struggle a little bit, even if until today we are the third best attack in the league.
"That means in any case we are doing well without those players, but we can do better with the players who are injured at this moment."
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