Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has delivered a surprise update on Jadon Sancho’s future, with the Manchester United reject set to return to Old Trafford at the end of the season.An Expensive Mistake...
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has delivered a surprise update on Jadon Sancho’s future, with the Manchester United reject set to return to Old Trafford at the end of the season.
An Expensive Mistake
In a long line of failed transfers for the Red Devils in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson malaise, Sancho‘s capture from Borussia Dortmund is arguably the worst.
Signed for £73 million in 2021 after lighting up the Bundesliga, the winger was supposed to complete an all-English attacking trident alongside Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood. The fact that all three players are no longer at the club, for very different reasons, tells its own story about the failure of this plan.
Despite coming through Manchester City’s academy, Sancho is a player poorly suited to the pace of the Premier League. Twelve goals and six assists in 83 appearances for United is a dismal return for such an expensive recruit.
The Englishman is currently on a season-long loan at Villa Park, with his contract set to expire this summer. Villa are covering 80% of his wages, with no loan fee.
He spent last season in a similar arrangement with Chelsea, but a refusal to compromise on his exorbitant salary at the Theatre of Dreams ended any prospect of the Blues agreeing a permanent deal.
The 25-year-old endured a slow start to life in Birmingham, though he now appears to have won Emery’s trust. He has started the last six matches in all competitions, providing an assist in the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth at the weekend.
Earlier in the campaign, it was almost certain Villa would choose to allow Sancho to leave at the end of the loan deal. However, Emery has revealed the Midlands club could now look to sign the United player as a free agent in the summer.
Free transfer
Speaking in a press conference before the match against Brighton & Hove Albion tomorrow night, the Villa manager was asked whether he had considered signing Sancho permanently.
“Not yet, but he is a fantastic player. Hopefully he can help us by increasing his qualities in our structure like he is doing,” Emery replied.
“He will need another contract, and maybe it could be here. If he plays his best football, we will want him. But also other teams could be involved in the interest for him. This is football and matches are all important for every player and the club’s future, how we can achieve our objective.”
The Spaniard then provided an analysis of Sancho’s season so far: “The first part of the season was not enough – he was working and trying, but not achieving the performance we needed. Now he is getting better. He is getting the challenge for him and us.”
Sancho’s salary at Old Trafford is around £300,000 a week, meaning there is virtually zero chance he will be offered comparable terms at Villa Park.
However, as a free agent, the winger would be able to command a signing-on fee which would go some way towards making up for any deficit. And he has consistently shown throughout his career that it is money which dictates his decision-making, on and off the pitch.
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Category: General Sports