Chelsea have been told their deal to sign Jadon Sancho from Manchester United could be the ‘best deal ever’.
The west London club decided to take a punt on ex-Borussia Dortmund star Sancho last summer, bringing him to Stamford Bridge on a season-long loan deal.
Sancho was viewed as one of the most exciting young players in Europe around five years ago but flopped following his £73m move to Old Trafford.
A couple of bust-ups with former United boss Erik ten Hag did not help and, in his defence, Sancho did look instantly better when he returned to Dortmund on loan last season, helping the German club reach the Champions League final.
Chelsea’s loan deal for Sancho includes an obligation to sign the England international permanently next summer for between £20-25m.
The competition in wide areas is fierce at Chelsea but Sancho has begun to show his worth, scoring a superb goal in the thrilling victory over London rivals Tottenham last weekend and impressing in Sunday’s win over Brentford.
New Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is clearly a huge admirer of Sancho, who is developing into a key player for a team mounting a surprise Premier League title challenge.
Several of Chelsea’s recent transfer signings have been questioned but former Blues defender Glen Johnson believes the move for Sancho could be the ‘best deal ever’.
‘Jadon Sancho’s move from Manchester United looks like a completely one-sided deal,’ he told Betfred. ‘These days, £23 million for a player like that, it’s like giving him away.
‘What he’s done in the last few weeks is what we know he’s capable of, but he just needs to do it more often.
‘He looks like he’s enjoying himself and that’s why he’s putting in performances, so the manager and his backroom staff deserve credit too because these players that weren’t performing are now.
‘Getting Jadon to perform at a cost of £23m could be the best deal ever.’
Tipped to struggle at the start of the season, Chelsea find themselves second in the Premier League after 16 games, just two points behind leaders Liverpool.
Discussing Chelsea’s phenomenal and surprising run of form, Johnson added: ‘They just look so much more like a team. They’ve always looked like good players, but they looked like a team of individuals.
‘Enzo looks as if he’s built them into a team, with all the players pulling in the same direction. They all charge around, they’re celebrating when they’re making certain tackles, fighting for each other and when good players do that, you get performances and you get wins.
‘You need standout players like Cole Palmer, but that’s obvious. Everybody’s just raised their game by 15 per cent and they’re a group of very good players.
‘Every one of them is capable and when good players pull together and pull in the right direction, then that’s a gamechanger at this level.
‘I think it’s the best I’ve seen Enzo Fernandez play since he’s been at Chelsea and now he looks like a player. He’s getting goals, controlling games and that’s what you expect of somebody with his price-tag.
‘He’s their captain, so he must be a good personality around the club. He’s pulling this team in the right direction.
‘There’s a lot of great players in the Premier League, but considering what Cole Palmer does and the way he does it, if he’s not in everybody’s top three, then it would be interesting to see who’s above him. He keeps scoring goals at big moments in big games.’
Johnson believes the only thing that could stop Chelsea from winning the Premier League is their somewhat questionable defence.
‘Chelsea’s defence could be their downfall in the title race,’ the ex-England star said.
‘The Tottenham game was great to watch, but it wasn’t as if Chelsea dominated it, they just made less mistakes than Tottenham, so they got away with it, really.
‘Against the top, top sides, you’re not going to score four goals after being 2-0 down. The top teams would shut it down and that’s what will stop you winning the league.’
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