- Sancho has joined Chelsea on loan from Manchester United for the season
- He has spoken about his relationship with the club in his first interview with the Blues
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Jadon Sancho has revealed that two Chelsea legends were his idols growing up in his first interview since signing for the Blues.
Sancho completed his transfer to Chelsea on deadline day, joining the club on an initial loan deal that could become permanent at the end of the season.
The 24-year-old was banned from Manchester United last season following a public falling out with manager Erik ten Hag.
The dispute led to Sancho returning to Borussia Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign, although Ten Hag had welcomed him back in pre-season after clearing the air with the United boss.
Now, however, he has returned to London, where he grew up, to sign for Chelsea and has spoken to the club to reveal who his idols were.
Jadon Sancho has revealed that Chelsea legends Frank Lampard (left) and Didier Drogba (right) were his idols growing up
The winger touched on a range of topics in his first interview since joining Chelsea from Manchester United on deadline day.
He opened up about how manager Enzo Maresca convinced him to join the London club after a phone call.
“Chelsea is an icon,” said Sancho. “My idols when I was a child were Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
“Now I have the opportunity to play for this club. It’s a fantastic feeling. It’s going to be great.”
Sancho is one of dozens of players signed by Chelsea, who were keen to offload some of their stars in the final days and hours of the transfer window.
However, the former United man was one of those who went the opposite route and revealed what persuaded him to make the move despite getting a relatively fresh start at Old Trafford.
“I think it’s the coach,” he said, explaining the main reason he changed clubs. “I knew him from when I was at Manchester City and when he was with Pep (Guardiola).
‘He spoke to me on the phone about his project and what he was building here and, for a young player like me, it’s exciting.
‘They signed me for a reason. I think it’s their style of play, the wingers. When they have the ball, they love to play one-on-one and be direct. They play a lot of one-twos with the 10 and the striker, so it’s very attractive.’
Meanwhile, the price cut United agreed to in order to offload Sancho has been revealed after the Red Devils caved in to their demands to get a deal done.
He worked with Maresca (pictured) while they were both at Manchester City and will do so again.
United will lose £17m on their initial demands if Sancho’s move to the Blues is made permanent next summer
According The athleticThe Red Devils had reportedly been holding out for a £40m fee for Sancho during the summer transfer window.
It would have represented a significant discount on the £73m fee paid by Manchester United to sign him from Dortmund in 2021.
However, Chelsea have reportedly made a move for Sancho on the final day of the deadline as Manchester United reduced their demands for the winger.
The Blues are expected to pay £23m to make Sancho’s signing permanent next summer, with the fee dependent on performance-related add-ons. The sum would represent a reduction of around £17m from Manchester United’s initial demands.
