Jadon Sancho is struggling for form. Will it have an impact on his Chelsea future?

Tottenham’s visit to Stamford Bridge after the March international break will conjure memories of Jadon Sancho’s finest moment in a Chelsea shirt.

Enzo Maresca’s team were 2-0 down inside 11 minutes in a cauldron of hostile noise at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when the sides last met in early December. Then, in the 17th minute, Sancho received a pass from Marc Cucurella near the left touchline, surged forward and jinked infield, passing two Spurs players before whipping a crisp, low shot in off Fraser Forster’s far post from 25 yards.

His brilliant goal silenced the home crowd and provided an immediate momentum shift, validating the belief that powered a Chelsea fightback to beat their bitter rivals 4-3. It was also the most dazzling flash yet of the sublime technical talent seen regularly during four years at Borussia Dortmund, before his ill-fated transfer to Manchester United in the summer of 2021.

Where has that player gone? Sancho has not scored in his 18 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea since. He has assisted just once, courtesy of an excellent probing run and low pass into the feet of Cole Palmer to score against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in early January. More often than not, his performances in 2025 have had United fans nodding their heads in recognition.

There have still been moments from Sancho during this lean stretch. If it were not for Palmer missing perhaps his best chance of the season from the winger’s slide-rule pass at home against Southampton last month, then seeing a penalty saved for the first time by Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen after Sancho had been tripped by Victor Kristiansen, the bottom line numbers would look a little better.

But it is not just about goals and assists. The impression formed when watching Sancho recently is of a footballer who retreats within himself during games, too often receiving the ball in non-threatening areas and simply passing it backwards, and some of the numbers lend concerning weight to the theory: in his nine Premier League appearances since Palace away he is averaging 10 fewer touches (47.3, down from 57.5), fewer shots (one, down from 1.2) fewer attempted dribbles (4.2, down from 5.4) and fewer passes (34.9, down from 42.2) per 90 minutes than he did in his first 15 league matches.

“He came to Chelsea and at the beginning, we saw that (version of) Sancho from Dortmund, but then he disappeared,” former defender William Gallas told Stadium Astro last week. “I don’t know what the problem is, but at the moment he can’t stay at Chelsea because he has to do more. When you play in the Premier League you have to play every game at the highest level. It’s not easy, but you can’t just play well for a few games and then chill out.”

Against this backdrop, the news that Chelsea’s obligation to buy Sancho this summer is not quite as obligatory as first thought was always going to attract attention.

The penalty fee that Chelsea would be required to pay to get out of making Sancho’s loan move permanent at the end of the season is £5million ($6.4m), as revealed by The Athletic. That would effectively serve as the loan fee that they did not have to give United to bring the 24-year-old to Stamford Bridge on a season-long loan in September.

The move included an obligation to buy for up to £25million but as part of the agreement between the two clubs it was decided that Chelsea could pay United a set fee in order to not go through with the full transfer.

But there is no indication yet that Chelsea are inclined to go down that route. Despite the dip in his production in the final third, Sancho has impressed with his professionalism and committed approach to training at Cobham, as well as his work rate with and without the ball in matches.

Sancho has also given no sign that he is unhappy at Chelsea, or with the way this season is going — though he did acknowledge in an interview with the club’s in-house media after the 1-0 home win over Leicester earlier this month that his return of two goals in 23 Premier League appearances leaves plenty of room for improvement.

“Step by step,” he said when asked to reflect on his recent form. “I know I can do better, especially in front of goal. It’s annoying not to score. I just need to take time and be patient.”

Chelsea are expected to assess Sancho’s situation in dialogue with the player and his representatives at the end of the season. There is no reason at this point to believe that agreement on a salary or personal terms will be a problem, so the conversation will focus more on whether all parties are happy to continue together. Chelsea are paying around half of the winger’s United salary for the duration of the loan.

January saw Chelsea be proactive in exploring their options for a right-footed winger in the transfer market, with Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund two of the more high-profile potential targets assessed. That profile of player remains a priority for the summer because of Mykhailo Mudryk’s ongoing unavailability, not because of any concerns about Sancho.

In the meantime, Chelsea need the best version of Sancho for their nine remaining Premier League matches to maximise their chances of qualifying for the Champions League. Finding top form again is in his best interests, too, not least because a glorious second act at United feels distinctly unlikely; even if Ruben Amorim unexpectedly judged him a perfect fit for his system, would INEOS really want his huge contract back on the club’s books?

Manchester United are unlikely to want Sancho’s contract back on their books (David Rogers/Getty Images)

The path to Sancho shining again at Chelsea might be as simple as more favourable circumstances. His descent into anonymity has coincided with the injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke that have unbalanced Maresca’s attack and also contributed to Palmer’s struggles. He is a winger who thrives in combination with team-mates whose runs in behind complement his desire to come to the ball, not in isolation against an athletic full-back.

Many frustrated supporters are minded to point the finger at Maresca’s system for stifling the attacking talent at his disposal. But that was not the case at Leicester last season, when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall enjoyed a career-best campaign while wingers Abdul Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi registered 19 and 18 goal involvements respectively in the Championship.

Then there is the fact that Sancho’s skill set, at least in theory, should lend itself more to picking apart deeper-lying defences than racing in endless transition, as he was asked to do at United.

It is hard for any player to flourish in a malfunctioning team. Chelsea should no longer be in that bracket when their key attacking absentees return after the March international break and if the version of Sancho that stunned Tottenham in December comes back with them, it cannot hurt his chances of building a career at Stamford Bridge that stretches beyond this season.

(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)