Former Premier League star believes Chelsea captain Reece James exposed ‘red flag’ in Jadon Sancho, ‘he quit’…

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After a very strong start to life at Chelsea, things have not been going so well as late for Jadon Sancho.

The winger will be joining the club permanently at the end of the season after the Blues took a chance on his addition on deadline day from Manchester United.

Sancho got off to a brilliant start in a Chelsea shirt, however, criticism has come his way of late for some underwhelming performances.

Kieron Dyer explains Jadon Sancho’s ‘red flag’

Chelsea fans are beginning to lose faith in Sancho, and his stats from this season do not suggest he has been a game-changer for the Blues.

There have been questions over Sancho’s attitude throughout his career as a Premier League player. This was put down as the main reason things did not work out for him at Old Trafford.

Former Premier League star Kieron Dyer recalled a moment from Sancho’s time in the academy at Manchester City which leans into the theory that the mental side of the game is not his strongest.

He told TalkSPORT in January 2024 that he remembered how after coming out second best in a battle with Chelsea youngster at the time Reece James, Sancho seemed to give up on what was a massive game.

He said: “He was a wonderkid growing up. He was the talk of everybody in the academies at that time. I was coaching and when I watched Man City he was unstoppable. It was the youth team, so the under-18s and he was incredible. He was probably 17 years old and everyone wanted him – he could have his pick, he’d just dominate every team.

“They played Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup final and played against Reece James and Reece James got the better of him, which can happen to anyone, but he quit on his team in the Youth Cup final.

“He just mentally went and I kind of had a red flag against him then and thought that’s a bit weird.

“He’s got the world at his feet and alright, he’s had a bad game but he’s quit on his teammates. You could see the life had gone out of him, he’d stopped tracking back and sort of given up and was basically mentally gone.”

James helped Chelsea win the FA Youth Cup that year with a resounding 5-1 second leg victory seeing them win 6-2 on aggregate. Trevoh Chalobah was amongst the goalscorers for the Blues.

What Chelsea chiefs think about Jadon Sancho

While Sancho is set to join the club permanently when this season comes to an end, there is not complete happiness from the decision-makers regarding what they have seen.

It has been reported the Blues are looking at a new left-winger for this summer in response to not being pleased with Sancho’s recent form.

The Chelsea Chronicle handed Sancho a 1/10 for his performance in the last game against Brighton, and he is facing a race against time to prove he can be part of the club’s project going forward.