Sancho is leaving ChelseaSancho is leaving Chelsea
Sancho is leaving Chelsea | AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea’s late summer deal protected them against their Jadon Sancho ‘penalty fee’.
Sancho wasn’t particularly consistent, but he did enjoy better form than what he produced at Old Trafford, and he provided some notable goals, including one in the Conference League final to help Chelsea defeat Real Betis.
Chelsea had an obligation to buy Sancho at the end of his loan deal worth £25million, but as ever in football, the obligation was everything but, and the Blues had the option of getting out of the deal by paying what has been dubbed a ‘penalty’ but is effectively a loan fee. There was no loan fee involved in the initial deal, so the £5million essentially serves as that payment.
It was reported that Chelsea were in talks with Sancho over a contract as they looked to make the deal permanent, but it is now being reported that no agreement has been reached, meaning the England international will return to United, at least for now. He will be expected to move on in the form of a fresh deal over the course of the summer window.
Chelsea did have to pick up half of Sancho’s tab when it comes to wages, but the so-called penalty fee can be almost written off thanks to a late deal Todd Boehly and the Blues chiefs managed to agree at the end of the summer window.
The Blues managed to shift Raheem Sterling to Arsenal on a season-long loan deal, and the Gunners picked up a third of the winger’s reported £325,000 wages. That means Arsenal paid £4.65million on wages to Sterling between the day he joined and the end of the loan deal on June 30, saving Chelsea that amount of money. Discounting that from the Sancho feel, the Blues would be left with just £350,000 plus half of the Sancho wages, which is a pretty good deal for a loan player with such high-level experience.
The 25-year-old didn’t overly convince, but he certainly served his purpose by making 41 appearances across all competitions, scoring five and assisting 10. There is little doubting that Chelsea would have struggled without that depth out wide.
Speaking on his form earlier in the season, Sancho said: “It’s definitely very satisfying. In training recently I’ve been working on my shooting a bit more, just working on hitting the far corner, so I’m delighted that it came off. The staff and the players have been telling me to be a bit more selfish in front of goal and shoot when I get in those positions. I’ve been working on that, so I’m delighted.
“I know I have a lot of people to prove wrong and I’m working hard every day in training. Once I get my opportunity I just try to show what I can do, so I’m happy that I scored and we got the three points for the team. I’m just taking it game-by-game and hopefully I can continue this form.”
Continue Reading