Jadon Sancho will not stay at Chelsea beyond this season. He had a fairytale end to his career at Stamford Bridge, scoring a goal in what turned out to be his final appearance for the club, the UEFA Conference League showpiece against Real Betis, which the Blues won 4-1.
His return to Manchester United was confirmed on Tuesday morning by David Ornstein. The journalist explained that an ‘agreement could not be reached over personal terms’, meaning he will leave the club at the end of the season. Chelsea will pay £5m to the Red Devils to cancel their obligatory buy clause.
So, with Sancho leaving, it means the Blues will almost certainly need to sign a new winger. There are some options that have been linked.
Chelsea’s options to replace Sancho
In a recent report from Sky Sports, a few options that Chelsea are reportedly interested in for their new winger have been named. One of those players is Jamie Gittens, Borussia Dortmund’s English winger, who has left a strong impression in the 2024/25 season.
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However, perhaps a better option than Gittens, also linked by Sky Sports, is Athletic Club winger Nico Williams. The 22-year-old seems available for transfer this summer, and the report suggests the Spaniard is ‘on their list’ to replace Sancho this season.
As for the price, that has been reliably reported by Ben Jacobs. He claims that Williams, who is also wanted by Arsenal this summer, is valued at £48.8m.
One stumbling block could be the fact that he is in talks for a new deal in Bilbao, although that does not rule out a move, but it could see an increase in the price.
Why Williams would be a good signing
Despite being just 22 years of age, Williams is a key player for Athletic Club. He helped his side reach the semi-final of the Europa League and finish third in La Liga, seeing them qualify for the 2025/26 Champions League.
In 45 appearances in the 2024/25 season across all competitions, Williams found the back of the net 11 times and grabbed a further seven assists. Of those goal involvements, ten of them came in 29 games in La Liga.
One reason why Chelsea’s interest in Williams may be piqued is his contributions in European competition. The Spain international, who was part of their Euro 2024 winning side, managed seven goals and assists in 955 minutes in the Europa League. That is the equivalent of just ten games, showing excellent consistency.
It is fair to say that the “electric” winger, as Statman Dave once called him, had a better season than both Sancho and Gittens, when looking at the goals and assists numbers involved.
Man United star Sancho managed 15 goal involvements this season, including his strike in the final against Betis.
Gittens, who is just 20 years of age, had a better season than Sancho, but was still pipped by Williams when it comes to most goal involvements. He managed 17 across all competitions for Dortmund, one less than the Spain international’s tally in 2024/25.
Several stats on FBref suggest Williams would be as good as, if not a better, addition for Chelsea. For example, he averages 5.05 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, compared to 3.57 for Sancho and 3.7 for Gittens.
Goals and assists
0.45
0.36
0.56
Key passes
1.8
1.94
1.07
Shot-creating actions
5.05
3.57
3.7
Goal-creating actions
0.59
0.51
0.51
Progressive carries
5.32
5.2
5.74
So, there is certainly plenty of supporting evidence to suggest that Williams would be a better addition to the playing staff at Stamford Bridge than Gittens, and a better option than if they had kept Sancho.
The fee is not astronomical, although his new contract could well change that. Regardless, signing Williams could be an excellent piece of business for Chelsea this summer.
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