Jadon Sancho will not be staying at Chelsea beyond this season. He had a fairytale ending in his career at Stamford Bridge, scoring the goal that turned out to be his final appearance at the club, a UEFA Conference League display against Real Betis, where the Blues won 4-1.
His return to Manchester United was confirmed by David Ornstein Tuesday morning. The journalist explained that “the agreement was not reached on personal terms.” This means leaving the club at the end of the season. Chelsea will pay the Red Devils £5 million to cancel the mandatory purchase clause.
So when Sancho leaves, it means that Bruce almost certainly needs to sign a new winger. There are several linked options.
Chelsea options to replace Sancho
A recent report from Sky Sports has named several options that Chelsea reportedly interested in a new winger. One of those players is Jamie Gittens, Borussia Dortmund’s English winger who left a strong impression on the 2024/25 season.
But perhaps a better option than the Gitens SkySport links to is the Athletic Club Winger Nico Williams. The 22-year-old appears to be able to move this summer, and the report suggests that the Spaniard is “on their list” to replace Sancho this season.
As for the price, it has been reported certainly by Ben Jacobs. He claims Williams, who is also wanted by Arsenal this summer, is valued at £48.8 million.
One of the stumblings may be the fact that he is discussing for a new contract in Bilbao, which does not rule out the move, but there is a possibility that prices will be seen.
Why Williams is a good signing
Despite being only 22 years old, Williams is an important player for the athletic club. He saw his team reaching the Europa League semi-finals, finishing third in La Liga and qualifying for the 2025/26 Champions League.
With 45 appearances in all competitions in the 2024/25 season, Williams found 11 behind the net and earned seven more assists. Of these target involvement, 10 of them came in 29 games at La Liga.
One reason Chelsea’s interest in Williams is at its peak is his contributions to European competition. Spain International, which was part of the winning side of the Euro 2024, managed seven goals and assists in the Europa League in 955 minutes. It’s just 10 games worth and shows excellent consistency.
It’s fair to say that, as Statman Dave once called him, the “Electric” winger had a better season than both Sancho and Giten when looking at the numbers and support involved.
Man United star Sancho managed 15 goals involved this season, including a final strike against Betis.
Gitens, only 20 years old, had a better season than Sancho, but was still piped by Williams when it came to most target involvement. He managed 17 in all competitions in Dortmund, one less than the 2024/25 Spanish International tally.
Some statistics on FBREF suggest that Williams is as good as good, if not better for Chelsea. For example, he averages 5.05 shot-making actions per 90 minutes, but at 3.57 for Sancho and 3.7 for Gitens.
Williams Key Statistics vs Sancho and Gitens | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Condition (per 90) | Williams | Sancho | Gorgeousness |
Goals and Assistance | 0.45 | 0.36 | 0.56 |
Key Pass | 1.8 | 1.94 | 1.07 |
Shot creation action | 5.05 | 3.57 | 3.7 |
Goal Creation Action | 0.59 | 0.51 | 0.51 |
Progressive Carry | 5.32 | 5.2 | 5.74 |
Statistics from fbref | |||
So there is certainly a lot of supportive evidence suggesting Williams is a better option than if he had a Sancho, in addition to the Stanford Bridge playing staff than Sittens.
His new contract could change that well, but the fees are not astronomical. Anyway, signing Williams could be a great business for Chelsea this summer.
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