Reports from earlier in the month have suggested that Borussia Dortmund have given in to the idea that Jadon Sancho may not remain with the club for long.
The Sun reported that Borussia Dortmund chief Michael Zorc admitted to the situation surrounding the £100m rated 19-year old as inevitable, saying in response, “you don’t have to be a prophet” when quizzed about Sancho’s future being away from Dortmund.
More recently, assistant manager Jorg Heinrich, as reported also by The Sun, admitted that one day Dortmund will be powerless to hold on to Sancho. Heinrich is also quoted as saying about Sancho below, per the report by The Sun:
“Jadon can become one of the best players in Europe, or even the world. He should know Dortmund is an excellent place for young players to play consistently and to develop on a very, very high level.”
Manchester United have been the long-time favourites to land the former Manchester City starlet, and look set to land the 19-year old England winger next summer. Although Zorc claims that no decision has been made on if Sancho will leave, his comments which have been echoed by Heinrich seem pretty final, meaning that Dortmund are only waiting for a good bid. But, just like in a best online casino, Dortmund will hold their nerve for as long as possible hoping to strike the jackpot.
Sancho already has three goals and five assists in the Bundesliga for Dortmund (four goals and six assists in all competitions), continuing his impressive form from last season where he had 13 goals with 18 assists in all competitions (via Transfermarkt).
A few weeks later, Sancho, who signed a long-term £190,000-a-week contract at the beginning of the season is quickly being talked about as the next big sale in the football world, with ex-Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley opining that Dortmund would be willing to sell if they lose out on qualification from their Champions League group, while speaking to ESPN TV (via Express).
Burley believes that the only factor that may keep Sancho at Dortmund beyond January is if they make it to the last-16 of the Champions League.
“First and foremost we’re presuming this is January,” Burley told ESPN FC as quoted by Express.
“I do believe that he is on the radar of United and a host of other clubs.
“I think this comes down to the fact of whether Dortmund get out of the Champions League group [or] Inter Milan [do] – we think Barcelona will probably win the group, no guarantee but…
“So if Dortmund get out of the Champions League group, I’m going to say in January it’s a no, possibility if they go into the Europa League they might look to cash in on him.
“That’s what they’d do. Yeah [he is the type of player United need], good player.”
Dortmund are a club renowned for working with and developing young stars in recent times, and while Sancho is one of their brightest currently, selling him may not affect them as much. In fact, the funds his sale will bring will finance the purchase of a new crop of bright talents, especially Kai Havertz, whom the club has been eyeing for quite some time now.
Fans of the club may want to kick against the sale of a player who has been Dortmund’s brightest spark in attack for the past two seasons, but it is becoming necessary that the club begins to adapt their play to the increasing technicality of the Bundesliga. Sancho has the quality to lead Dortmund into the future, as well as the quality to stand at the pinnacle of world football, but his presence in the side may lead to another Ousmane Dembele case.
Sancho, who left City for Dortmund in 2016 under shocking circumstances, keeps attracting media attention and this is not good for the young players playing alongside him. They are seeking to build themselves and their career, and the media scrutiny may end up troubling them more than it favours them.
Also, the fact that Sancho has begun to feel more confident in his ability – as noted by both Zorc and Heinrich – will make the youngster a lot more ambitious than he was at City which led to his leaving the club. Such ambitions, while laudable, may prove distracting for the youngster and eventually the Dortmund team as a whole.
Sancho has already had two reported disciplinary actions taken against him by Dortmund, with the most recent being a total omission from the matchday squad and rituals after his late return from the just-concluded international break. Playing for the Three Lions at 19 years of age and earning more senior national caps than a lot of players his age tends to make young players a bit overconfident.
Dortmund do not have the leeway to handle such ambitiousness as they need to keep their focus on winning relevant titles which will solidify their place as one of European football’s biggest clubs. Keeping Sancho will do so much for Dortmund’s ambitions, but just as the club’s top dogs have expressed, it definitely will be a wiser move to allow the player leave the moment a good bid arrives.