We may have been able to witness the biggest transfer for a teenager in the transfer window. Jadon Sancho to Manchester United was the hot news. Any tip about any movement was sold like hotcakes.
3 months later, Jadon Sancho is still playing for Borussia Dortmund. Last season he registered 17 goals and 16 assists in the Bundesliga. This season he has 1 goal and 4 assist under his belt. Such a huge decline in form. Let us break down the events to understand that there not just one but many causes to this.
Manchester United finished 3rd in the Premier League under Ole Gunner Solksjaer last season. They finished their campaign in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League at the semi-finals. One of the drawbacks with the squad was an inexperienced right-wing position.
Mason Greenwood and Daniel James were completing only their first season in top-flight football. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer set his sight on Jadon Sancho. This was the first of many causes. A 20-year-old was heavily linked with one of the biggest clubs of the Premier League.
Jadon Sancho and Manchester United Transfer Saga:
The Manchester United board submitted an initial bid in the range of £50 million for Sancho. They claimed that they did this to reduce the value Dortmund could possibly ask for.
Dortmund, without acknowledging the bid, valued their player at £120 million, a huge amount for a teenager. The amount was too huge for United. Considering the financial situation in COVID times, it would be ridiculous to break their club’s transfer record for a teenager.
Most of the other Premier League teams were making top signing by that time. Chelsea had sealed the deal for Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, and Timo Werner. Pressurized by the fans, United’s board submitted another bid to sign the player for £90 million. Dortmund rejected the bid stating that they would take nothing lesser than what they asked for.
Sancho was called-up for International duty at that point in time and there he met Marcus Rashford as he hails Rashford highly. The United star reportedly convinced the player to join so that they could join forces. Sancho fuelled speculation to sky-high numbers with this post.
Sancho seemed interested in joining Manchester United. Fans forced United to submit another bid. Dortmund too stated that they were ready to accept a bid at £108 million. But United’s board submitted the same bid as the previous time. This move angered everybody.
Jadon Sancho decided to extend his contact and Dortmund stated that they would not accept anymore bids. United tried one final time before the window closed but the damage had been done.
New Season, New Team
After seeing his transfer fail, Sancho returned to play with Dortmund. But the team had changed. With the rise of Giovanni Reyna and Jude Bellingham, Sancho’s involvement in the attack reduced.
But the biggest blow was Achraf Hakimi’s transfer. The duo were a lethal pair the previous season and Sancho’s form quite evidently fell after that.
Where’s does the Manchester United target Sancho stand now?
So a 20-year-old was linked to one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League. He is excited to play with one of his closest mates. However, dirty games played at the managerial level cause the transfer to fail. He returns to find that his wingman has left the club.
This is a lot of stress for a young footballer who is already playing under such restricted conditions due to the current situation.
From an outsiders point of view, the blame falls on the transfer saga. But this is because it was exaggerated to that level. If one get into his shoes, you realize that many other factors too has played a part in this small dip of form.
Clubs are interested in him and plan to swoop him during the January transfer window. Let’s hope he finds his form and amazes everyone.
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