Everton manager David Moyesplaceholder image
Everton manager David Moyes | Getty Images
Jadon Sancho could be on the move once again in the summer as a bombshell transfer update emerges
The 23-time England international, who joined United for a staggering £73m in the summer of 2021, remains the fourth most expensive signing in the club’s history, but hasn’t featured for the club since way back in August 2023, following a well documented and public clash with former manager Erik ten Hag.
The ordeal started after Sancho was left out of the squad for a match against Arsenal when Ten Hag said that the winger wasn’t selected due to ‘performances in training’ adding that he needs to ‘reach a level every day at Manchester United.’ Sancho responded by describing Ten Hag’s comments as ‘totally untrue’ in a since deleted post on Twitter where he went on to say that he’s been treated like a ‘scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair.’
The 25-year-old appears to have now played his final game for the club if reports from talkSPORT that the club are planning to terminate his contract are indeed true. But what does the future hold for Sancho? Is he a lost cause or is there still untapped potential waiting to come out?
Jadon Sancho has experienced an incredible fall from grace
Sancho is supposed to be entering the prime years of his career as a professional footballer but instead looks to have found himself at a crossroads between proving he can be great or instead leaving everyone to wonder what might have been.
It’s now been nearly eight seasons since Sancho broke into the Borussia Dortmund team. He signed for the Bundesliga outfit in 2018 after growing frustrated at his lack of first team opportunities at Manchester City and essentially forced his way out of the door by turning up late to training before completing an £8m move as per The Telegraph.
Sancho showed signs of promise in the Dortmund first team during the 2017/18 campaign when he was just 18-years-old. But it was his performances the following season which made the world take note as he registered 13 goals and 20 assists across all competitions to win a place in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.
The following campaign he performed even better, registering 20 goals and 20 assists to prove himself as one of the very best young talents in world football. These are numbers even Lamine Yamal hasn’t recorded yet as a teenager which highlights just how high Sancho’s stock was at that moment in time.
Sancho registered 51 goals and 64 assists in 139 matches during his first spell at Borussia Dortmund and seemed like a near certainty to succeed in English football when he joined Manchester United. But it’s now fair to say that Sancho has only ever looked like a moments player since moving to English football as opposed to someone with the consistency to compete for regular international caps.
At United he scored just 12 in 83 matches while at Chelsea his best moments were often reserved for the Conference League, with him claiming five goals and 10 assists in 41 matches. He’s currently playing for Aston Villa but hasn’t yet been trusted to start a Premier League match and has been limited to only six outings across all competitions.
What next for Jadon Sancho?
Sancho is no longer one of the most coveted footballers in world football. But he’s still a player with an incredibly high ceiling that could prove a shrewd signing once he becomes a free agent next summer.
He’s a 23-time England international, has won the German Cup, competed in a Champions League final and appeared for the Three Lions in a European Championship final as well. He’s still fairly quick, has excellent dribbling qualities and proved in the Conference League final that he still has an excellent eye for goal.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s gone wrong for Sancho. And whether it’s confidence, injuries or perhaps attitude off the pitch that’s affecting is output on it. But what’s clear to see is that there is still a top class player in there who could benefit a Premier League side if utilised properly.
Perhaps a club like Everton, under the guidance of David Moyes, could be perfect for someone like Sancho at this stage of his career. As it stands, Everton have a few mercurial talents on the books in Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye, who both look like men reborn at the club.
Grealish managed four league assists combined in his final two seasons at City and looked a shadow of the player he once was, and has since joining Everton already managed that feat and won the August Player of the Month award in the process.
Meanwhile, Ndiaye, one-time wonderkid at Sheffield United, who scored just three goals and two assists in the league during his one season at Marseille, is now one of the most in-form footballers in the division with four goals and one assist already this term for the Blues - adding to the nine goals he managed in the league last term.
Grealish is only with Everton for a year after signing on loan for City. However, his deal does include an option for the club to potentially buy him for around £50m. Everton are thought to be looking to push that figure down for a player turning 31 next September. However, if they are unable to agree, that deal could potentially turn to Sancho, who is four and half years younger and sign him on a free transfer instead.
Ultimately, a lot depends on how both players perform between now and the end of the season. But it’s certainly a deal that Everton could consider based on the potential Sancho showed earlier in his career.
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