Chelsea snapped up Jadon Sancho on a season-long loan from Manchester United in August, with an obligation to make the deal permanent this summer.
The 25-year-old reached the Champions League final a year ago after returning to Borussia Dortmund on loan, with his time at Old Trafford proving unsuccessful.
Recently though, there’s been speculation that Chelsea could actually pay £5m Manchester United to cancel the permanent deal, and ensure they DON’T sign him full time after all.
Former Chelsea star gives his view on Jadon Sancho
Although Sancho has four goals and 10 assists in all competitions this season, he’s started only 18 Premier League games, and none of Chelsea’s last four.
With competition fierce in the wide areas at Stamford Bridge, former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin believes it could be in Sancho’s best interests if he departs.
“It’s a tough one because Chelsea have a slight addiction to wide players and they’re well stocked there,” Nevin tells FourFourTwo.
“I think the costs are quite high for Sancho, and they’re looking around for lots of other wingers at the moment, too.
“Noni Madueke’s brilliant, I was at the game against Liverpool last weekend and he was pushing for the best player on the pitch – every time he got the ball, he did something that made you think ‘Wow’. A bit like Eberechi Eze at Crystal Palace, he’s special.
“So one of those wide positions is taken, and on the other side, Neto looks good as well. For Sancho, it’s going to be tough for him.
“Purely for his own sake, it may well be that do you want to just be a reserve player, or a player that’s going to come on sometimes, or do you want to play every week.
“I think he’s a good enough player to play every week, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he did move on.”
Madueke's World Cup quest
Nevin may be a Scot, but as a fan of Madueke, he believes the 23-year-old can push himself into the England squad for next summer’s World Cup.
“To be honest, yeah I do,” he says, speaking in association with NewBettingOffers.co.uk. “Although it’s really difficult because for years and years, England didn’t produce those creatives. Now you’ve got them absolutely bursting out of your ears.
“There’s millions of them – Eze, Cole Palmer – it’s absolutely extraordinary the players in those creative forward positions.
“Madueke absolutely should be there – the problem is, there are about nine others who should be there as well! But I think he’s fantastic.”
