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August 31, 2024

Jadon Sancho Enthusiastic About Joining Chelsea’s ‘Project’ Following Transfer – EPL

Jadon Sancho has expressed his enthusiasm for joining the Chelsea project after moving from Manchester United on an initial loan, which will be made permanent next summer.

The 24-year-old transferred to West London from Old Trafford on Saturday after the clubs finalized a last-minute agreement on transfer deadline day.

Sources have informed ESPN that Chelsea has not paid a loan fee and will cover most of Sancho’s wages for this season. Depending on the team’s performance, the transfer fee could rise to £25 million ($32.8m).

“I am really excited to be here. London is where I grew up and I’m happy to be back,” Sancho mentioned in a statement.

“The manager spoke to me about the project and, for a young player, it’s exciting. Hopefully I can bring goals and assists to the Bridge.”

Sancho arrived at United from Borussia Dortmund in a €85m deal after a lengthy transfer process in July 2023. He could not match his previous form in Germany, making only 83 appearances for United, scoring 12 goals, and providing six assists.

The forward, aiming to revitalize his career after a challenging period, has not played in a competitive match for United in over a year and was omitted from Erik Ten Hag’s squad for the first two Premier League fixtures.

Sancho spent the latter half of last season on loan at his former club, Dortmund, after being sidelined from United’s first team due to a public dispute with Ten Hag. He played a vital role in the Dortmund squad that reached the Champions League final at Wembley in July, where they were defeated 2-0 by Real Madrid.

The ex-Watford and Manchester City youth player has earned 23 senior England caps but has not represented his country since 2021. He was excluded from Gareth Southgate’s squads for the 2022 World Cup and the European Championship in Germany this summer.

Victor Osimhen Excluded from Napoli’s Serie A Squad for the Season

This season, Victor Osimhen was left out of Napoli’s official 23-man Serie A squad after his anticipated move from the club did not occur.

Osimhen’s 26 goals were instrumental in Napoli’s Scudetto win two seasons ago, but the situation has deteriorated. Despite the player’s desire to leave, he remains at the club but is not involved in their plans.

Osimhen, 25, extended his contract with Napoli in December, binding him to the club until 2026. The reported release clause is set at €130 million.

One month later, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis announced that Osimhen would depart at the end of the season. Recently, he has indicated that his next destination will likely be either Chelsea or Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli.

Discussions persisted until the transfer window closed in Italy and England on Friday. However, as Chelsea did not meet Osimhen’s salary demands, it seemed he was headed to Saudi Arabia.

However, according to ESPN, Napoli rejected the offer from Al Ahli, which subsequently acquired Ivan Toney from Brentford for a reported fee of £40 million ($53m) and signed Belgian Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.

Later on Saturday, Lukaku scored on his debut for his new team, contributing to Napoli’s 2-1 victory over Parma in Serie A.

After the match, Conte remarked that the only downside to Napoli’s transfer window was the inability to secure an exit for Osimhen.

“We did not just bring in players to build on an existing team but to fill certain empty slots, and I am happy with the work done by the club,” he informed reporters.

“If we had been able to sell Osimhen, it would’ve been an even better situation, but what happened cannot be changed and we move on.”

However, he criticized the timing of the transfer window closing after the season had already started.

“We take these three points knowing full well that we have to work after this absurdity of the transfer market,” Conte stated.

“Coaches have to train players who are going to leave and wait for players we’ve never worked with and don’t know in what condition they’ll be when they arrive.”

“I hope that things can change in future, seeing as everyone is ready to change formats and rules.”