Chelsea's summer business has been chaotic to say the least. There have been some impressive captures with the likes of Pedro Neto and Joao Felix both arriving.
That said, there has been some controversy surrounding player exits. Conor Gallagher, Chelsea through and through, was alienated from the playing squad before joining Atletico Madrid.
Now, there is the curious case of Raheem Sterling on transfer deadline day. There are two possibilities; he stays at Stamford Bridge or heads off to Arsenal following a reported phone call with Mikel Arteta.
A striker continues to elude the Blues, although they could yet launch a late swoop for Victor Osimhen. However, in their endeavours to replace the potentially departing Sterling, they've found a winger.
Chelsea make deadline day bid
With transfer deadline day reaching its conclusion, the transfer team at Chelsea have launched a late move to bring in another attacking player.
That happens to be Jadon Sancho, the man at the centre of Sterling's future in west London.
That's according to Fabrizio Romano who stated on Friday afternoon that they were now speaking with Manchester United regarding a deal.
Here's what the ever-reliable transfer insider said…
How Sancho is similar to Willian and Hazard
Now, going from one underperforming winger in Sterling to another in Sancho might defy belief. However, this is Chelsea we're talking about. They don't do things by the book.
That said, the former Borussia Dortmund man is a captivating prospect and at his best is one of the finest wide forwards in the game.
You only need to look back at his performances in last season's Champions League when his loan side, Dortmund, reached the final.
In the semi-finals against PSG, he was electric. During the first leg, the Englishman completed 12 dribbles. That was the most by any player in a Champions League semi-final since Lionel Messi in April 2008 against United (16).
On that evidence, it's hardly a surprise that he was once described as the “the next Eden Hazard” back in 2020 by former Liverpool star Steve Nicol.
2012/13
62
13
21
2013/14
49
17
8
2014/15
52
19
12
2015/16
43
6
7
2016/17
43
17
7
2017/18
52
17
13
2018/19
52
21
17
Hazard was renowned as one of the finest dribblers in the Premier League during his spell on English shores. In 2017/18, the Belgian ranked in the top 1% of positionally similar players in the top flight for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, illuminating how good he is at beating a player.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent's goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
It's a quality he clearly shares with Sancho, who could well become Hazard incarnate by making a late move to London this summer.
What's interesting is that the United outcast is also comparable to another ex-Chelsea forward in Willian. FBRef notes that the Brazilian is the fourth-most similar player based on data across the last 365 days. Why? Well, as we can see in the graphic below, their passing metrics are largely rather alike, making a similar number of progressive passes per 90.
So, with Todd Boehly and Enzo Maresca making one last-gasp dart to sign a new player before the deadline, Sancho feels like a no-brainer on a loan deal for the rest of the campaign.
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