Manchester United and Chelsea are currently in talks over a stunning swap deal that could see Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling switch clubs in the final days of the transfer window.
Sancho has been left out of United’s squad for their opening two Premier League games, while Sterling has been banished to Chelsea’s ‘bomb squad’ after falling out of favour with Enzo Maresca,
Both men are now looking for a move to resurrect their careers, and a swap deal between United and Chelsea is potentially on the table.
But which club would be getting the better side of the deal?
Statistics provided by Opta point to a clear winner between the England wingers, indicating that it may actually be United who come away the happier club.
Jadon Sancho could be set to leave Man United to join Chelsea this week
Raheem Sterling could go to United as part of a sensational swap deal between the two clubs
Erik ten Hag hasn’t picked Sancho in his first two Premier League squads of the season
Sterling has been banished to Chelsea’s ‘bomb squad’ by Enzo Maresca
Conveniently, the two players have featured in almost exactly the same number of games – 83 for Sancho at United, 81 for Sterling at Chelsea – making a comparison pretty straightforward.
This is despite Sancho joining United a year earlier than Sterling moved to Stamford Bridge, highlighting the problems the former has had at Old Trafford.
Over the past three years, Sancho has recorded just 12 goals and six assists for the Red Devils in his 83 outings.
Sterling has the upper hand in both categories with 19 goals and 12 assists across his two campaigns in west London, suggesting that he is far more productive in the final third.
In fact, Sterling has the edge over Sancho in a number of departments, including touches in the opposition box (422 to 317), shots on target (51 to 27) and successful crosses including corners (26 to 13).
One metric that is in Sancho’s favour is chances created including assists – he has 116 to Sterling’s 89.
But Sterling trumps him again when it comes to big chances created (21 to 13), highlighting how the Chelsea forward has been setting up better opportunities to score for his team-mates.
Of course, there are other factors to consider. At 24, Sancho is five years younger than his fellow countryman, and Chelsea may believe he still has his best years ahead of him.
Sancho has struggled at United and fell out with Ten Hag at the start of last season