Tim Sherwood shares what he’s noticed about Chelsea’s Jadon Sancho compared to other wingers

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Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood has been explaining why new Chelsea signing Jadon Sancho is such an “intelligent footballer”.

Chelsea signed Jadon Sancho from Manchester United at the end of the last transfer window, and the winger is already proving to be a good addition.

Although Nicolas Jackson ended up doing most of the work for his first goal against West Ham United over the weekend, it was Sancho who assisted him. It comes after he set up Christopher Nkunku’s winner versus Bournemouth in Chelsea’s previous Premier League win.

Joe Cole has now warned other clubs about the Blues’ attack following Sancho’s arrival.

• READ MORE: Jadon Sancho is already starting to prove Rio Ferdinand right after Chelsea debut

Tim Sherwood discusses ‘intelligent’ Jadon Sancho

For Sherwood, too many wingers play with their heads down instead of looking up.

However, the 55-year-old says that is not the case with Sancho, who he has described as a very smart footballer as a result.

Speaking on Sky Sports (21/09/2024 at 12:15) about the England international, Sherwood said: “You see a lot of wide players who play with their head down. He plays with his head up.

“He is a very, very intelligent footballer, but he is an intelligent footballer who needs a cuddle, who needs love, and he needs attention, and the manager, [Enzo] Maresca, has got to identify that.”

Sherwood’s praise of Sancho came before Chelsea’s win against West Ham. After it, others also found time to laud the attacker, with Paul Pogba calling Sancho “him” on Instagram.

Jadon Sancho an intelligent winger

There is more to Sancho’s game than just running at players and putting crosses into the box, the playing style of a lot of wingers.

The 24-year-old can be a bit of a playmaker at times, so describing him as an intelligent footballer is quite a fair assessment.

Sancho is capable of seeing things and then making the right pass. It is one reason why his assist numbers at Borussia Dortmund were so high.

According to WhoScored, Sancho is averaging two key passes per game at Chelsea. In Maresca‘s squad, Only Cole Palmer is making more with an average of 2.6.

Chelsea have an obligation to buy Sancho, so they will be signing him permanently in 2025. The final fee will not surpass £25m, so the Blues could be in for a real bargain here.