There will be no Chelsea debut for Jadon Sancho today.
A summer transfer window Deadline Day produced more drama than we have seen in quite some time as the Blues shipping out Raheem Sterling to Arsenal on loan, and brought in Sancho on a loan-to-buy deal which will be made permanent next summer for around £25million.
Both teams were worked on late into the evening and even beyond the 11pm deadline, requiring deal sheets to be completed. Sterling’s exit was confirmed around 2am on Friday night, into Saturday morning, and Sancho’s arrival was not confirmed until 7.30pm on Saturday evening.
To be ineligible to face Crystal Palace today, Sancho had to be registered as a Chelsea player by 12pm midday on Friday, which was clearly impossible.
There, Sancho will not face Palace in today’s London derby, or even be in the matchday squad. He is free to travel with his new players and, of course, watch along at Stamford Bridge.
