Why Chelsea made late decision to sign Jadon Sancho from Man Utd

Chelsea felt the deal to sign winger Jadon Sancho from Manchester United on deadline day was too good to turn down, 90min understands.

Interest in Sancho only emerged late in the summer transfer window when it became clear Chelsea wanted to offload Raheem Sterling, with head coach Enzo Maresca looking for another versatile left-sided winger or forward.

With that brief in mind, co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields began looking closely at Sancho. Shields is widely credited for unearthing Sancho during his time at Manchester City and presented data from the winger's time with Borussia Dortmund as evidence that Sancho could excel in the right system.

United had been seeking £40m to sell Sancho but ended up lowering that asking price, which only further increased Chelsea's desire to strike a deal. A loan with an obligatory purchase clause was agreed at between £20m and £25m, with the figure to be determined by Chelsea's final league standing at the end of the season. For the clause to be triggered, Chelsea must finish at worst 14th, and the higher they place, the more United get.

Sources have confirmed to 90min that Chelsea were delighted with those finances, confident that Sancho will either justify the expense and be a huge success at Stamford Bridge or ultimately be sold on for a similar fee if things do not work out at some point further down the line.

Sancho also took a pay cut to seal a move to Stamford Bridge and is on lower salary than Sterling, who made a loan move of his own to Arsenal on deadline day, aiding Chelsea's quest to lower their wage bill.

The business side of things appealed to Chelsea's decision-makers, while on the pitch, Maresca was also impressed. The new boss likes wingers who can attack their defenders out wide and also finish like strikers in the box, and the belief is that Sancho can offer a valuable contribution to the team.

While Chelsea may appear to have an excess of left wingers on paper, they do not see it as such. Maresca's system requires versatility and, although Pedro Neto and Joao Felix may appear natural fits for the left-sided role, the feeling is that each of Chelsea's wingers will be required to help on both sides of the pitch across the campaign and even in a central role. Neto relishes playing on the right and Felix’s preferred position is a central one.

Sancho was presented to fans ahead of the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace and will train with Maresca during the international break. He could make his debut for Chelsea in the trip to Bournemouth on September 14.

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