Andy Cole believes Chelsea's £25m Jadon Sancho transfer "could be a steal" as the Manchester United loanee has "so much unlocked potential".
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Sancho joined Chelsea on deadline dayCurrently on loan but has an obligation to buy clauseCole believes it could be a "very good deal"WHAT HAPPENED?
The Blues secured the winger on a deadline-day loan deal, which includes an obligation to buy him next summer. The transfer fee is expected to be between £20 million (€23m/$26m) and £25 million (€29m/$32m), depending on Chelsea's final standing in the Premier League. This is a shrewd piece of business by Chelsea given the Red Devils forked out around £73 million ($101m) to buy Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in 2021.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT COLE SAID
United legend Cole believes that the Sancho deal could turn out to be a bargain for the London club.
"Manchester United paid over £70 million for Jadon three years ago, so it’s a lot of money lost, isn’t it?" Cole remarked in an interview with
Jadon’s a very talented kid and he’s still only 24 years old, so if Chelsea can get the best out of him like Borussia Dortmund did last season, then it would be a steal. There’s so much talent and so much unlocked potential there, so if Chelsea can unlock it and get him to the peak of his powers, then it would ultimately be a very, very good deal for them."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Nonetheless, Cole is unsure how Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will fit Sancho into a squad that is already bloated with several forwards.
"However, you can flip it on its head and ask where he's going to play?" he asked. "Unless football becomes 24-a-side, he’s going to struggle like everybody else at Chelsea because nobody knows what’s going on there. They’ve got loads of big names but they can only choose eleven players to start, so it will be interesting to see how he does at Chelsea."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR SANCHO?
At Chelsea, Sancho will be looking to rediscover his earlier form that led United to pay such a hefty fee for him a few seasons back. The Blues will resume their Premier League campaign after the international break with a match against Bournemouth on September 14, and Sancho will be eager to make an impact.