Joe Cole wants Chelsea to sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent transfer from Manchester United and insists he has ‘done well’ during his loan spell at Stamford Bridge.
Sancho’s 83rd-minute curler all but put the Conference League final to bed as Chelsea came from behind to beat Real Betis 4-1.
Betis deservedly led at half-time through Abde Ezzalzouli’s early opener but Chelsea turned things around during an impressive second-half display.
Enzo Fernandez equalised on 65 minutes and Nicolas Jackson put Chelsea ahead five minutes later.
Late goals from Sancho and Moises Caicedo ended any prospect of a Real Betis comeback as Chelsea, as expected, proved too strong in the inferior Conference League.
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Having started on the bench, Sancho made a key contribution following his second-half substitution, potentially boosting his chances of earning a permanent move to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea agreed to sign Sancho permanently for around £25m when they signed him on loan from Manchester United last summer.
However, they are unable to cancel the agreement by paying their Premier League rivals £5m in compensation and reports suggest that remains a possibility following Sancho’s mixed spell in west London.
Asked about Sancho’s future at Chelsea before the Europa Conference League final, Cole said: ‘I think Jadon is a really great player and I think he’s done well.
‘He’s been rotated in and out a bit but I want to see Jadon playing. You want a player like that in your squad. It will come down to a financial decision I imagine but I really like him.’
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Enzo Maresca said discussions would be held around Sancho’s future in the days following the final.
Asked if the Real Betis game could be Sancho’s last game for Chelsea, Maresca said: ‘I don’t know.
‘I said that when in the last weeks you asked me about different players, I always said the same. And the reason why is because it’s the truth.
‘It’s not the moment we have tomorrow, final. Then in 24 hours, 48 hours, we’re going to start to talk about the future.
‘But at this moment, there is not any thought or any decision made on Jadon or any different players.’
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