Former Arsenal midfielder turned TV pundit Emmanuel Petit has questioned Jadon Sancho's decision to join Chelsea from Manchester United. The winger joined the Blues on the transfer deadline day on a season-long loan deal with an obligation to buy.
As per Goal, Chelsea will pay Manchester United a fee between £20 million and £25 million depending on where they finish in the Premier League this campaign. However, Sancho's decision to move to Stamford Bridge has not gone down well with Emmanuel Petit.
The former France international has insisted that Sancho needs to rediscover himself after his torrid spell with Manchester United. He has questioned whether the 23-year-old will get enough chances to prove himself at Chelsea who have more than 40 players on their roster. Petit said, as quoted by Goal:
"The club are not the only one responsible for the situation, it also comes down to the players. How can Sancho bring himself to sign for Chelsea after what happened at Manchester United?"
The FIFA World Cup winner in 1998 added:
"He was loaned to Borussia Dortmund, then went back to United, and now he’s off to Chelsea who have 40 or so players and he is just one of them."
Petit has insisted that Sancho's move to west London is more money-driven than his desire to reignite his career. He said:
“Hasn’t he had enough of moving around clubs, losing his way on the pitch and losing his confidence? Now he’s at a club that has no consistency, lacking in confidence and results. If he’s not there for the money, what is he there for?”
Sancho joined Manchester United in the summer of 2021 in a deal worth £73 million from Borussia Dortmund but failed to live up to his price tag. Things went from bad to worse when he fell out with Erik ten Hag last season. He was banished from the first-team squad before moving to Borussia Dortmund on loan in January.
The Englishman has only scored 12 goals and provided six assists in 83 appearances for Manchester United. His loan spell with Borussia Dortmund was also far from successful as he contributed with just three goals and three assists in 21 games.
Manchester United technical director opens up on why he allowed Jadon Sancho to join Chelsea on loan
Manchester United technical director Dan Ashworth has opened up on why Jadon Sancho was allowed to move to Chelsea on loan. The England international switched to Stamford Bridge on loan with the Blues having an obligation to buy him next summer.
Dan Ashworth has claimed that he felt that Manchester United had enough depth on the flanks which is why the winger was allowed to leave. He said, as quoted by Tribal Football:
"We felt we had enough depth in that particular position to be able to cover it. We have four really good wide players; Jadon was the fifth, and that allowed us to make that decision."
Sancho will have to face plenty of competition for a place at Chelsea who have a huge roster. He has seen his stock drastically fall over the last few years and will be looking to rediscover himself at Stamford Bridge.