Chelsea lost "England's next superstar" for £0, now he's better than Sancho

Chelsea got back to winning ways in the Premier League on Tuesday night with a comfortable 4-0 win over strugglers Southampton at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues had lost their last three matches in all competitions, losing twice to Brighton & Hove Albion and once to Aston Villa, and got back on track against the Saints.

Goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Marc Cucurella, and Levi Colwill wrapped up all three points for Enzo Maresca‘s side, ahead of their return to Conference League action against Copenhagen next week.

It was a much-needed evening for Nkunku, in particular, as the France international had only produced two goals and one assist in 22 appearances in the Premier League prior to the clash with Southampton.

Hopefully, he can use his new-found confidence at the top end of the pitch to kick on in the second half of the season to ensure that Nicolas Jackson’s absence through injury is not felt too strongly again.

One player who did not step up was Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho on the right flank, as he continued to struggle to offer much in the final third.

Jadon Sancho’s struggles this season

The England international has now gone nine matches in all competitions for the Blues without a goal or an assist to show for his efforts, after he failed to register a goal contribution in the win over Southampton.

In fact, Sancho ended the match against Ivan Juric’s side without a single effort on goal, let alone a shot on target, as he stretched his run without a goal to 14 competitive games.

His last goal for Chelsea came in the 4-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur, as shown in the highlights above, as he brilliantly found the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Sancho joined the club on loan from Premier League rivals Manchester United in the summer, with an obligation to sign him permanently for a fee of up to £25m at the end of this season, and the forward has failed to prove his worth at Stamford Bridge in the top-flight so far.

As you can see in the table above, Sancho has not been an outstanding contributor within the squad as either a scorer or a creator of goals for the Blues, failing to crack the top five for both goals and ‘big chances’ created.

With the former Borussia Dortmund star’s struggles in mind, Chelsea may think back and rue some of the players they have allowed to move on in the past in his position, including current Dortmund star Jamie Gittens.

Chelsea fumbled Jamie Gittens

According to the Mirror, the English forward spent time with Chelsea’s academy at youth level before he decided to reject their offer to stay at Cobham, instead moving to Reading’s academy.

Per Transfermarkt, the promising talent spent the second half of the 2011/12 season with the Blues, after joining from the Royals, before opting to move back to his former team to continue his development, without – given his young age – them receiving a penny for him.

Chelsea’s academy staff were seemingly unable to convince his family or representatives that Cobham was the best place for the U10s star to shine, and he went on to stay at Reading for another six years after that.

Gittens eventually signed for Manchester City’s academy in the summer of 2018 and did not make a first-team appearance for the Premier League giants before his permanent transfer to German side Borussia Dortmund ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

The young winger produced 11 goals and five assists in 20 U19 matches for Dortmund before he emerged as a regular in the senior team during the 2022/23 campaign.

Chelsea must, now, rue losing the talented youngster in the early stages of his academy career, as he has gone on to become even better than Sancho and an incredibly valuable asset for Dortmund.

Jamie Gitten’s current market value

Last month, the Mirror reported that Chelsea and Arsenal both have an interest in Gittens and that they have been told that it will take a mammoth fee of £80m to secure his services in the upcoming summer transfer window.

This, immediately, shows that the Blues missed out big time when they failed to convince the player to remain in their academy system as he has developed into an £80m-rated talent who is now wanted by the current first-team recruitment staff at Stamford Bridge.

The England U21 international, who was once described as “England’s next superstar” by one German outlet, has racked up 11 goals and four assists in all competitions for the German outfit so far this season.

Gittens, who was also hailed as a “wonderkid” by Kulig, has also outperformed current Chelsea forward Sancho as an attacking force at league and European level this season.

As you can see in the table above, the Dortmund sensation has offered a significantly greater threat as a scorer, as well as creating more ‘big chances’ and more xA for his teammates.

These statistics suggest that Chelsea would be better off if they had Gittens in their current squad, compared to Sancho, and that may be why the Blues are reportedly interested in a deal to bring him to Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

It would be harsh to criticise the Blues for losing the English wizard, given that he was at U9s and U10s level when he was at Cobham, but those at the club may still look back and wonder what could have been if he had decided to continue his development in London instead of returning to Reading.

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Chelsea returned to winning ways last night with a convincing 4-0 win over Southampton at Stamford Bridge.