By Ben McFadyean.
An €85m transfer in 2021, Jadon Sancho has not played for Manchester United since last August but has instead been with Chelsea on loan. Nevertheless, the Red Devils are still busy paying off the transfer fee agreed with Borussia Dortmund in 2021, as the club’s co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has revealed in a recent interview with the BBC.
The portion of the payment due that is still outstanding is not insignificant, and the co-owner of the North-West-based club has revealed: “For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea, we are paying half of his salary, we are having to pay another £17 million this summer.”
Cost cutting has been the main focus and achievement of Ratcliffe, who has been raising concerns about the wage bill for the 26-man squad which is currently valued by Transfermarkt just short of €700m. An incredible figure for a club currently in 13th, a full eight points off 8th position, which is likely to qualify for European competition.
With hindsight, the agreed transfer fee of €85m has proved to be a great deal only for Borussia Dortmund. The Westfalenstadion club can expect to receive another €20m from the deal and also, of course, benefitted from a successful loan of the player between January and June 2024, in which he once more made a fantastic contribution and was a hugely popular addition to the side.
The transfer fee is excellent news for Dortmund who are, on current form, in genuine danger of missing out on European football and the accompanying income for the first time since 2007/08.
According to a report by the German newspaper Sportbild, even missing out on the Conference League could prove to be very costly for BVB, with the club set to miss out on at least €30m. This would also affect the transfer budget for a squad that badly needs restructuring in key positions.
Sancho’s Chelsea transfer could fall through due to a surprising clause
Sancho’s transfer to Chelsea included a purchase obligation for the ex-BVB player. According to the Sportbild report, this will take effect if the Blues finish the Premier League season in at least 7th place in the table. The London club is currently fourth, so that condition looks likely to be fulfilled.
However, the England international has made just 24 appearances across all competitions, scoring four goals for the West London club, and the issue of whether he will be signed is far from clear. According to the report, Enzo Maresca’s side can also still refuse to sign the player but would be obliged to pay a “substantial penalty payment.” The amount has not been disclosed, but it is speculated to be over £10m.
Sancho has been far from settled since returning to the English game. He struggled with Manchester United, where he was in a clinch with former coach Erik Ten Hag, making only 58 appearances from 2021-24.
The 24-year-old is not looking good enough to hold his position in Maresca’s side, appearing to have lost his edge and appearing hesitant. With the £40m signing of Sporting Lisbon’s Geovany Quenda coming in the summer, his time could be up at Stamford Bridge.
The Camberwell-born player, of course, also failed to break through in the Manchester City academy, which led to the Bundesliga transfer in 2017.
In the Bundesliga, however, it was a different story. At just 17, Sancho earned his place in the BVB first team within weeks of arriving through his partnership with Marco Reus. He became a dynamic out-and-out leader, winning the DFB Pokal and the German Cup twice in the process and a place in the England team to boot.
Could Chelsea’s loss be Borussia Dortmund’s gain?
When sporting director Sebastian Kehl brought the winger back last January, he was very clear about the expectations but also the pressure Sancho would be under. Speaking to Bild, he said: “We are ready to give him the chance to show that he can do it again, but I don’t have time. He has no time; we don’t have time. So, if he wants to come here and demand time to prove himself, that’s impossible.”
Kehl also emphasized that the player was far from at his best: “Jadon isn’t the old Jadon yet, but he can be after two months. He’s a game-changer for me and can be very important for us this season.” He was right.
Sancho played in all but two league games in the second half of the 23/24 season, reaching the Champions League final. He may have just scored three goals during the loan, but his contribution as a leader on the pitch and in the dressing room is indisputable and he has been sorely missed since.
Is Sancho a natural fit for the German league?
Sancho developed into the player he is in the top tier of German football and he is a player who has looked comfortable across the Bundesliga. With more than hints of Jamal Musiala, Sancho brings exceptional dribbling skills, precise ball control, and ability to create scoring opportunities for himself and his team-mates. His speed, agility, and vision make him a stand out player in Germany, BVB need those skills and more.
Since the departure of Reus and Mats Hummels, there has been a real sense of a lack of an out and leader on the BVB side.
Among the leading players, Nico Schlotterbeck is highly impressive when available in defence but has only been with the club for two seasons and doesn’t yet appear to command the leadership needed in the side.
Julian Brandt’s performances, especially this season, are not consistent enough and the highly talented German international is another player who could be released.
Despite some outstanding performances, including in the 3-0 thrashing of Sporting Lisbon in Europe, Emre Can remains a controversial choice and is speculated by Ruhr24 to be among a group of six highly-paid players who could be released in the summer.
Julian Ryerson has the character and puts in the fight the fans want to see and that is needed, but again has suffered injuries and has only been with the club for just over a year.
If BVB miss out on Europe, they will need to sell. Players in demand include England U21 winger Jamie Gittens, with rumours persisting that Liverpool is keen to sign him. Likewise, Germany International Karim Adeyemi, who BVB could get €50m for, has been linked with several clubs, including Napoli.
On the wings, that leaves two inexperienced players, Julian Duranville, and Cole Campbell, he is also injured. Niko Kovac’s side badly needs experienced options on the wings, and Sancho could be exactly that option.
Despite the shot in the arm that is the FIFA Club World Cup in the USA in June/July, which could bring the club as much as €50m, BVB will have to walk a tightrope of reducing their wage bill while badly needing to reinforce the side in key positions.
There is a good group of former Premier League players at the club including Pascal Gross, Yan Couto, Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha. Bringing in another, and what’s more a leader and talismanic player who has brought success to the Westfalentstadion, makes sense.
Sancho brings the kind of experience the side needs in the attack, plus this is an opportunity to reignite the Chelsea loanees’ career at the age of 24 when he should be approaching his prime.
The case appears self explanatory. What now remains is for Kehl and Lars Ricken to figure out how to square off on the reported €15m wages which shatters the wage budget by a margin. Now, however, is not the right time for that unless European qualification can be secured.
One way or the other the player will have to compromise or another loan will have to be done to gain his skills for the side.
Some things are meant to be, and as fans of Die Schwarz-Gelben love Sancho in black and yellow, BVB and Sancho and what is more the Bundesliga and Sancho, appear to be one of those things;
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