Jadon Sancho sent Chelsea a message from a player who could ruin his £25m transfer | Football | Sport

Jadon Sancho has been welcomed with open arms by many first-team players at Chelsea, but the pleasantries may be over as the 24-year-old faces a fierce battle for a place in the starting eleven.

Sancho has joined the Blues on a season-long loan from Manchester United, with an obligation to buy clause in his contract making the transfer guaranteed to be permanent next summer for up to £25 million.

While a fresh start could be just what Sancho needs, given Chelsea's overcrowded squad, he will have to fight his way into Enzo Maresca's lineup. One player he will be immediately paired with is right winger Noni Madueke.

The former PSV Eindhoven star reacted to Sancho's arrival on Instagram by reposting Chelsea's reveal, tagging him and adding four flame emojis. The pair will spend this season fighting for Chelsea's shared goals, but they are also aiming for the same starting spot.

Sancho can play on either wing, and during his disappointing time at United he spent much of his time on the left, although he enjoyed great success on the right at Borussia Dortmund.

With Mykhaylo Mudryk and Pedro Neto already competing for the left wing position at Chelsea, Sancho's best chance of playing regularly may be on the right, where Madueke has earned a starting place thanks in part to his hat-trick against Wolves last weekend.

And if Madueke continues to shine, Sancho could struggle to begin his new chapter at Stamford Bridge. The loanee needs game time and confidence to regain the form that saw him score 50 goals in 137 games for Dortmund earlier in his career.

It remains to be seen whether Sancho has what it takes to ignore Madueke's warm welcome and push him out of the starting XI, although he seems confident that Chelsea did not sign him to gather dust on the bench.

Sancho told the club's official website: “(Maresca) spoke to me on the phone about this project and what he is building here. For a young player like me it is exciting and I can't wait to get started. They are signing me for a reason and to contribute to the team and I am ready to do that.”

“I'm really happy it's finally over. Chelsea is iconic. My idols growing up were Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard and now I have the opportunity to play for this club like them. It's a great feeling.”