Enzo Maresca's Jadon Sancho decision could hint at January transfer for Chelsea star
Jadon Sancho is in contention to make his Chelsea debut this weekend as the Blues travel down to the south coast to take on Bournemouth.
The 24-year-old wide man was signed following the transfer deadline on August 30, with Chelsea submitting a deal sheet in order to complete the move. Sancho has signed on an initial season-long loan deal from Manchester United but the Blues have an obligation to make the move permanent for around £25million next summer, football.london understands.
Sancho was not called up to the England squad for the first international break of the season so the winger has been training with a selection of his new teammates at Cobham over the past two weeks. He joins an array of wingers, or versatile attackers, already at the club; including Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku.
All of the sudden at Stamford Bridge, there is such immense competition for spots in the attacking line under Enzo Maresca. Something that makes the future of Mudryk even more complicated.
Mudryk has played 225 minutes across four appearances in all competitions for Chelsea this term but the Ukraine international has been unable to impress consistently - the story of his tenure with the club thus far. Signed in January 2023 in a deal that could eventually be worth up to £89million, it has been a really tricky period for Mudryk.
There was such excitement surrounding his big-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk - not least because Chelsea beat rivals Arsenal to his signature. However, it has been one frustration after another for the 23-year-old, who now sees his future with the club in doubt.
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His inconsistency has been a constant frustration to Chelsea supporters, who can see the talent and ability is there but just needs to be unearthed. Maresca can see it, too, but the head coach has also become frustrated.
"I think this is Misha, this is Mudryk, in terms of not only tonight, but in terms of since he joined the club," the Chelsea boss explained last month. "I think he had some good moments and then some moments like flipping a coin.
"You don't know if it's one thing or the other thing. This is Misha. If he can become more consistent, he can take one step forward.
"It never feels like he is going to change. We are going to try and help him change. He needs to try and understand that we are going to give him the ball in the last third.
"When he's there [it's about] taking the right decision. For me, most of the mistakes from Misha is not about the quality or the technical mistake, it's about the choice."
A few days after those comments from Maresca, the head coach opted with Mudryk from the start at Molineux. But after an underwhelming first-half from the Ukrainian - and Chelsea as a whole - he was taken off at half-time for Neto. The score was 2-2 at the break and the visitors ended up winning 6-2 in the Midlands.
Neto, who can also be used on the right wing, has spent the majority of his early days at Chelsea on the left-hand side given the form of Madueke on the opposite flank. The early indications from Maresca are that he trusts Neto more than Mudryk - and things could get even worse for the winger in the coming days.
Should Sancho be given the nod from the start at Bournemouth, then this spells bad news for Mudryk; who would in turn fall even further down the pecking order. This, what is Mudryk's third season with the club, feels like a defining campaign for the Ukraine international.
There were loose rumours about his future over the recently-concluded summer transfer window, but football.london understands Chelsea were never considering selling the winger. However, in January, and this is pure speculation, if he still has not shone in blue - and with the options they have elsewhere - could the Blues be tempted to cash in?