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At the beginning of the 2017-18 season, Jadon Sancho made a brave move by leaving Pep Guardiola's Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund in Germany. The country has a different language, culture, and footballing style. Aged 17 at the time, it was seen as risky, even if his path to the City first team was blocked by established stars in Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane, along with the signing of Bernardo Silva in the same summer. He could have stayed back like Phil Foden has, in the belief that Guardiola would see the talent and utilise him as he has been known to do with young players.
It would be an understatement to say that the move has been a success. He exploded in the 2018-19 season with 13 goals and 19 assists in the season. The stats are stupendous for an 18-year old who moved to a new club and a new league just a year before that. He was a chance-creating machine for BVB, quickly winning over the crowd at the famous Signal Iduna Park. This led to a call-up for the England national team, where he has gone on to make 11 appearances since his debut in October 2018.
With 7 goals and 9 assists this season, he has carried on from where he left off last season. However, it is an entirely different matter off the field. After England's 6-0 thrashing of Bulgaria in Sofia where he came on as a substitute, he reported late to Dortmund ahead of a key clash with leaders Borussia Monchengladbach. Lucien Favre admitted he was axed from the squad as a disciplinary measure. Consequently, he was also benched for the key Champions League game at Camp Nou, coming on as a substitute to score a beautiful consolation goal.
This has led to an increased speculation about his intention to leave Westfalenstadion as early as January. Liverpool and Manchester United are interested, with Chelsea looking to get involved subject to removal of the transfer ban. Let's look at the reasons why the Reds will be the best option at this stage in his career.
1. Jürgen Klopp
The former Borussia Dortmund manager has been a key reason for the rise of Liverpool from mid-table mediocrity to Champions League glory, while delivering his favoured 'heavy-metal' football, blowing teams away in the process.
Klopp is one of the best managers in the world right now and his management style is vital to the methods he employs. The players trust and respect him while the fans adore him. He is a darling of the media and most neutrals.
From Sancho's point of view, he could do much worse than playing under a manager largely responsible for the progress of world class attacking players such as Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. He will have the freedom to express himself under someone who knows a thing or two about dealing with exciting young players with burgeoning reputations.
While Sancho's talent is unquestionable, his recent disciplinary issues show how important it is to guide players at this stage in their careers. Klopp's affable personality will surely help in that regard, while his authority will ensure that the English starlet knows where to toe the line. There is nothing stopping him from going up a few levels under the German and fulfilling the promise he has clearly shown.
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2. Playing style
Without relying on a possession-based approach adopted traditionally by Pep Guardiola's sides, Liverpool play attractive, attacking football. They use attacking transitions to devastating effect, different from a simple counterattacking system as it involves winning the ball as high up the pitch as possible and bursting forward in numbers before the opponents have a chance to organize themselves.
The playing style has clearly benefited the attackers as Mane, Firmino and Salah, while good at their previous clubs, have become household names and one of the most fearsome trios in the world. The rise of Salah has been unprecedented as the Reds coaching staff have used his deadly pace to transform him into an elite goalscorer. Mane finished 4th in the recent Ballon d'Or vote, while Firmino is arguably the most important of the three as his unselfish and intuitive play allows the other two to thrive.
Playing for a team where the football is dour, defensive & unimaginative has been known to adversely affect attacking players rather than enabling them to change the side's fortunes. Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan at Manchester United are clear examples. Sancho would be a part of a superbly coached side and know what is expected of him without being bridled with excessive defensive duty, allowing him to do serious damage in the final third.
3. Pressure
Manchester United and Chelsea are at varying phases in a heavy rebuilding process. The Red Devils lie in 10th place in the league, still lacking a clear and discernible idea on how to play football. Chelsea have shown more promising signs under Frank Lampard, considering the transfer ban. It has allowed him to play the highly-rated prospects from the academy without the added pressure because of the ban. Expectations are different for a big-money signing. Immediate impact from Sancho would be necessary from both sets of fans if their club spends upwards of €100 million to bring him in.
Liverpool are a well-oiled machine who have won the Champions League and are on course to end their Premier League drought. Sancho wouldn't even be expected to be an immediate start, let alone be tasked with transforming an ailing side. He would be allowed time to settle into the side and earn playing time gradually. The same approach was followed for Fabinho and he's a certainty for the playing XI when fit.
Some would argue that he needs playing time and continuously playing second fiddle to the existing front three would be detrimental to his development. While that is true in part, the sheer amount of games that Liverpool are playing this season would give him ample opportunities to impress and stake a claim for regular football. Additionally, Salah and Mane have been linked with transfers away from Merseyside more than once now. Should any transfer materialise, Sancho would slot in seamlessly and become a key player in no time.
