'He's got the fluidity': Pundit says Chelsea have a £25m player who reminds him of Eden Hazard
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Chelsea have improved a lot under Enzo Maresca this season.
The Blues really seem to be clicking under their new manager, and they could well be back in the Champions League next season.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 3 | ChelseaChelsea | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 19 |
Cole Palmer has received plenty of praise for his performances this season, while Nicolas Jackson has been hailed for his improvement.
Speaking on the Seaman Says Podcast, Mike Phelan has now praised another Chelsea attacking talent.
Indeed, Phelan spoke highly of Jadon Sancho.
Phelan actually worked with Sancho at Manchester United, and while things didn't quite work out at Old Trafford, he says that Sancho has a serious amount of natural talent akin to Eden Hazard.
Mike Phelan praises Jadon Sancho’s talent
Phelan shared his verdict on Sancho, claiming that when he's on it, he's a seriously talented player.
Phelan went as far as to compare Sancho to Eden Hazard.
"His talent, when he’s on it, his talent is there. You can see it. I mean, he’s a guy that can use the ball effectively when it’s at his feet," Phelan said.
"He’s got that Hazard, I’m not saying he’s at the Hazard level, but he’s got that movability with the ball. He’s got the fluidity in his game. He just needs to bring out that personality sometimes to the game and be the guy."
Sancho compared to Hazard
Phelan says that he doesn't want to suggest that Sancho is at Hazard's level, but, at his best, he's not a million miles off.
It's been a long time, but the stats that Sancho was putting up during his time at Borussia Dortmund are very similar to Hazard's best at Chelsea.
| Jadon Sancho’s best season at Borussia Dortmund | Eden Hazard’s last season at Chelsea | |
| Games | 32 | 37 |
| Goals | 17 | 16 |
| Assists | 16 | 15 |
Of course, there's an argument to be made about the standard of the Bundesliga compared to the Premier League, but the numbers show that when Sancho is in his best form, he can score goals and create chances.
Whether or not Sancho can rediscover that best form at Chelsea remains to be seen, but, as Phelan says, the £25m man has bags of potential, and when he's playing his best football, he can be unplayable.
Sancho is a player who could bring a lot to this Chelsea team if he can rediscover his best form.
