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When Borussia Dortmund signed Jadon Sancho, one of the hottest prospects in world football, from Manchester City's academy as a replacement for Barcelona-bound Ousmane Dembele, the expectations were high.
Sancho had been outstanding for City's youth teams and there was a lot of hype surrounding his move to the Bundesliga in search of more game time. However, nobody could have predicted that his performances since his debut would make him one of the best players in the world so soon.
Many young British players such as Reece Oxford, Ethan Ampadu, Ademola Lookman, and Sancho's childhood best friend, Reiss Nelson, have made moves to the German first division hoping to emulate the forward, but none has been as successful as Sancho has. Having played over 75 games for the German giants, Sancho has earned himself a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad too.
Signed for a measly € 7.84 million in the summer of 2017, the Englishman has taken the Bundesliga by storm, creating formidable partnerships with Marco Reus, Julian Brandt, and Erling-Braut Haaland.
His debut season at the Westfalenstadion resulted in a contribution of 1 goal and 4 assists from 7 starts and 5 substitute appearances. His 0.8 shots per game and 1.6 key passes a game were promising, but he only managed 29.8 passes a game with an 84 percent accuracy. Regardless, the club showed faith in him and gave him plenty of chances to prove himself.
The following season, he started 26 games and made a further 8 substitute appearances in the league, scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists. This substantial increase in his goal output made the world take notice. His shots per game and key passes per game subsequently improved to 1.2 and 1.9 respectively, while his dribbles per game saw a significant increase to 3.3 from 1.4 the previous season. His passes per game also saw a jump to 38.3 as Sancho became a regular in the first team.
Before the coronavirus pandemic cut short the 2019/20 season, Sancho was in the best form of his young career. He made 29 goal contributions (14 goals and 15 assists) in the league so far this season - numbers that pale those of Mo Salah (22 goal contributions), Sadio Mane (21 goal contributions) and compatriot Raheem Sterling (12 goal contributions). These numbers are further put in perspective when one considers the following statistics.
Sancho outperforms all three of the aforementioned superstars in terms of key passes per game. The 20-year-old averages 2.3 key passes a game as compared to Salah's 1.8, Mane's 1.6 and Sterling's 1.5 respectively. His 2.6 dribbles a game are also superior to those of the corresponding numbers of the 3 Premier League forwards.
Despite impressive statistics and attributes, Sancho remains a work in progress and is not the finished article yet. His passing statistics have been increasing since his debut campaign and he averages 51.5 passes a game in the Bundesliga this season.
These otherworldly statistics invariably lead to comparisons with some of the greatest players of all time such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, it is fair to say that Sancho holds his own amidst such stiff competition as demonstrated by the following tweet by @TMuk_news.
Borussia Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc heaped praise on the now 20-year-old having been quoted saying the following.
"I’m not surprised about his performances. I’m surprised how fast he managed to get on this senior level because, before, he only played in youth teams. And also his stability in performing well. During last autumn he nearly played each game and always at a high level. He’s still a youth player in our terms – that’s unbelievable. He’s very robust, very strong. For his age, he is outstanding.”
Sancho is valued at € 130 million by Transfermarkt, making him the most valuable player in the Bundesliga, and the 9th most valuable player in the world. In recent times, many Premier League clubs such as Manchester United and Chelsea have shown interest in signing Sancho. Both of the aforementioned clubs are in need of strengthening their attacks and have no dearth of transfer funds. However, the fact that he was an ardent Chelsea fan growing up may tip the scales slightly in favor of the London-based club.
Frank Lampard has already added Hakim Ziyech to his squad for next season after a transfer ban due to breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations that restricted the Blues' transfer activity in the 2019/20 season. The former Chelsea midfielder was an inspiration for Sancho growing up, and a chance to work with the man he looked up to may be too hard to refuse for the England international.
Borussia Dortmund are renowned for making gargantuan profits on youngsters who were signed in cut-price deals, and if the England international were to make a move in the coming transfer window, it will likely be one of the most expensive transfers in football history. It should be interesting to see where his future lies.
