As was rumored for about a week, Chelsea have secured the signing of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, acquiring one of England’s most talented wingers on loan with an unknown obligation to buy attached.
The move brings a proven Champions League commodity to Chelsea, and Sancho is capable of getting starts on either wing, with the left wing actually being the most pressing need in light of Mykhaylo Mudryk’s inconsistency.
Chelsea are beyond loaded on the flanks with Sancho entering the fray. Here is a look at how the Blues could potentially line up with the talented 24-year-old from Dortmund in the XI.
Defense
GK Filip Jorgensen – The new signing should be the nailed-on starter in goal ahead of Robert Sanchez, even if Enzo Maresca bizarrely wants to stick with the carryover starter in Premier League fixtures.
LB Marc Cucurella – Fresh off a Euro-winning campaign, Marc Cucurella successfully rehabilitated his image by being arguably the best left back in the tournament.
CB Levi Colwill – The center back position is a bit of a problem spot for Chelsea right now with no clear standout, but of this young bunch, Levi Colwill is the best. Thankfully, Chelsea didn’t end up parting ways with the 21-year-old this summer.
CB Wesley Fofana – A man with a point to prove, Wesley Fofana is, in theory, one of the best center backs in the Premier League, but Chelsea need to see him get a run of games while healthy first.
RB Malo Gusto – Obviously, Reece James would be the starter at right back if healthy, as he is the captain and one of the best in the world in his position. Malo Gusto, however, is also one of the world’s best right backs in his own right.
Midfield
DM Moises Caicedo – Moises Caicedo has yet to live up to his record price tag while a Chelsea player, but his summer for Copa America proved that there is still a top-class defensive midfielder in the ex-Brighton star.
DM Enzo Fernandez – Romeo Lavia could actually give Enzo Fernandez a run for his money in midfield, but, for now, the severely underperforming ex-Benfica man gets the nod.
AM Cole Palmer – Even with a healthy Christopher Nkunku and now Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto joining on the wings, Cole Palmer is still the Blues’ best player until proven otherwise and was a fully legitimate Premier League Player of the Season candidate in his breakout 2023/24 campaign.
Attack
LW Jadon Sancho – Jadon Sancho has to start every game possible for Chelsea. He is a game-changer, and it is, quite frankly, unfathomable that more clubs did not show serious interest in a player who led Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League last season and has multiple double-digit goal and assist seasons despite only being 24 years old. He will go down as one of the best moves of the summer, just as Palmer was in 2023.
RW Pedro Neto – Pedro Neto was one of the big breakout stars of the 2023/24 season, and the only real blemish on his record is his injury history. A dynamic dribbler, Neto is one of the best right wingers in the Premier League and gets the nod over two talented players in Noni Madueke and Joao Felix.
ST Christopher Nkunku – Since neither Victor Osimhen nor Ivan Toney arrived at Stamford Bridge, Nicolas Jackson is the only striker at Chelsea. But Christopher Nkunku is, alongside Sancho, the most proven player in the Chelsea squad and a capable center-forward himself, having shined in that role for RB Leipzig prior to his transfer to Chelsea.
