by Chelsea wrapped up their Europa Conference League group stage campaign with a perfect record, securing their sixth consecutive victory, this time against Irish side Shamrock Rovers on Thursday night.
The Blues took the lead early when Marc Guiu capitalized on a defensive mistake, but the visitors quickly equalized with a deflected goal. Guiu then struck again, pouncing on a loose back pass to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead.
Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall extended the advantage with a third goal, and Guiu completed a first-half hat-trick with a clever flicked header, sending the hosts into the break with a commanding 4-1 lead.
In the second half, full-back Marc Cucurella added a fifth goal, sealing the 5-1 win. With this result, Chelsea finished the group phase with a perfect six wins from six matches.
Although Chelsea won’t return to European action until March, it appears they have already secured a deal for next summer. According to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea has reached an agreement with Jadon Sancho for a permanent transfer in the summer.
The winger, currently on loan at Stamford Bridge from Manchester United, can be signed permanently for £23 million at the end of the season. Sancho had fallen out of favor at Old Trafford after a fallout with then-manager Erik ten Hag and was loaned to Borussia Dortmund for the second half of last season.
With Ten Hag still in charge at United, Sancho was loaned out again, this time to Chelsea. Since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, the England international has scored twice and provided three assists in ten Premier League matches, gradually rediscovering the form he showed during his first spell at Dortmund.
Phillips reports that Chelsea plans to activate the option to sign Sancho permanently and has already agreed terms with the player, who is said to be “on cloud nine” since joining the club he supported as a child.
