As Chelsea continue to make signings, and focus on outgoings to trim down their squad, one of the latest casualties appears to be Raheem Sterling. According to Fabrizio Romano, Sterling is "out of the project".
Enzo Maresca spoke about this during his press conference, stating that he told Sterling "he will have no minutes here". The new Blues boss stated he prefers a different kind of winger, and this could be the case with new signing Pedro Neto, who can play on both the left and right wing.
Sterling made 43 appearances for the west Londoners in all competitions last season, scoring ten goals, providing eight assists, and totaling 2,771 minutes played for the Blues.
Chelsea transfer news
According to reports from The Athletic, some people at Manchester United believe Chelsea could make an approach for English winger, Jadon Sancho. Paris Saint-Germain have also been consistently linked with the 24-year-old, but nothing has happened so far this summer on that front.
He first joined the Red Devils back in 2021 for around £73m and therefore the Red Devils would want to recoup as much of that fee as possible – with a £40m price tag having been mooted.
Sancho made 24 appearances in all competitions last season for Dortmund and United, scoring three goals, providing three assists, and totalling 1,593 minutes played.
Sancho vs Sterling comparison
Sancho was described as a "phenomenon" by talent scout Jacek Kulig back in 2021, after providing 114 goals and assists in 137 games for Dortmund, from age 17 to age 21.
However, since his move to Old Trafford, Sancho – who was also dubbed an "insane talent" by Kulig – has struggled to find that same form he produced at Dortmund, racking up just 18 goal involvements in 83 games in all competitions.
That is akin to Sterling at Chelsea, who has struggled to show the attacking prowess he did at Man City – where he recorded 131 goals and 73 assists in 339 games.
Stats (per 90 mins)
Sancho
Sterling
Goals
0.17
0.33
Assists
0.11
0.26
xG
0.05
0.30
xAG
0.22
0.20
Progressive Carries
5.57
5.45
Progressive Passes
5.51
3.55
Key Passes
1.99
1.36
Total Shots
0.68
2.29
Shots on Target
0.28
0.88
Shot-Creating Actions
4.66
3.86
Successful Take-Ons
3.69
2.05
From the metrics, you can instantly see the differences in intent from each player, and their style of play. Sancho is much more creation oriented, looking to progress the ball, get touches during build-up and create chances for both himself and his teammates.
Sterling, on the other hand, is a higher shot-volume winger, looking to arrive in dangerous areas and score goals from wide, shown by his higher output numbers, more goals and assists per 90, and a higher xG per 90.
Maresca's system is also very focused on finding 1v1 scenarios for the wingers, putting them in numerous positions to beat their man, and create a chance by finding one of the forward runners around the box. This would suit Sancho extremely well, who averages 3.69 successful take-ons per 90, and 4.66 shot-creating actions per 90.
Despite Sancho averaging such good creative numbers, his goalscoring and xG production have fallen off massively in recent years, as in his last season at Dortmund, he actually averaged 0.35 goals per 90, and 0.29 xG per 90.
This is far higher than the 0.17 goals per 90, and the 0.05 xG per 90 he manages currently, but the fact he has produced higher goal tallies, and higher xG production in the past, shows his ability to contribute in this way, and a change in location could bring back that confidence in his goalscoring ability.
But even if you assumed he won't rediscover his goal-scoring form, he could still add a much-needed creation level, pairing him with the right players who excel in shot volume, and output would be good squad planning – and that's where João Félix comes in.
Felix and Sancho partnership
Chelsea have just announced the signing of Felix from Atlético Madrid on a permanent deal, having spent a six-month loan spell at the club back in 2023. Felix told the media "I'm really happy to be back at Chelsea and I can't wait to get started".
The 24-year-old went on to call Chelsea "a chance for me to find a home", stating his willingness to stay permanently at one club (place), with Stamford Bridge being a place he can see himself shining in.
Felix made 44 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions last season, scoring ten goals, providing six assists and totalling 2,143 minutes played. These stats bettered his ones from his time at Chelsea, where he only made 20 appearances for the club, scoring four goals.
Stats (per 90 mins)
Felix
Sancho
Goals
0.42
0.17
Assists
0.25
0.11
xG
0.49
0.05
Shots Total
3.70
0.68
Shots on Target
1.55
0.28
Touches (Att Pen)
6.23
4.72
Key Passes
1.04
1.99
Progressive Passes
3.82
5.51
Progressive Carries
3.87
5.57
As you can see from the metrics, Felix provides that volume-shooter player next to Sancho, offsetting his low volume of shooting, averaging 0.68 shots per 90, with Felix's high volume averaging 3.70 per 90.
Felix also scores at a clip of 0.42 goals per 90, producing 0.49 xG per 90, showing his involvement in and around the penalty area when it comes to creating and scoring goals. His 6.23 touches in the penalty area per 90 also show his willingness to attack the box, and get on the end of creative passes that find him.
The mixture of Sancho's incisive dribbling and passing to create chances (and shot-creating actions) could merge brilliantly with the goal-hungry Felix, who likes to test the keeper and keep them honest.
The main factor would be getting them both on the pitch together, along with a whole host of other Chelsea attacking talents such as Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, and Mykhailo Mudryk.
This is where the versatility of both Sancho and Felix could be helpful for the squad, to provide depth in multiple positions, in a season that could be as long as 80 games, if Chelsea succeed in various competitions this campaign.
Sancho played a mixture of left and right-wing last season, making 12 appearances from the right, 11 from the left, and even one appearance coming as a centre-forward. Felix, on the other hand, made 33 appearances from the left-wing, whilst also featuring eight times through the middle (as an attacking midfielder/centre-forward).
This versatility would allow Sancho, Neto, Mudryk and Madueke to cover the wide slots, whilst Palmer, Felix, and Nkunku cover the central areas (also with the ability to play wide if needed). This could see Sancho and Felix sharing the pitch, and allowing their partnership to blossom, pairing the creative brilliance, with the shooting menace.
Chelsea expected to sign £17 million player alongside Joao Felix
The Blues could announce it shortly.
ByEmilio Galantini
