Manchester United and the transfer window are two things to equate to drama. Each time the transfer window opens, there is major speculation and United tend to leave things late, which is not the sign of a club that has a clue what it is actually doing. This is an important summer for United but with nothing seemingly happening yet and supporters getting annoyed, it is going to be a long summer transfer window. United have been heavily linked to Jadon Sancho this summer, but the 10 August deadline that the Old Trafford club were set by Borussia Dortmund expired with nothing much happening.
Ever since that date and the fact that Sancho left Germany for Switzerland on the club pre-season training camp, the German club has reiterated that Sancho will be staying at the club for the entire 2020/21 season. Whether that happens remains to be seen though. Sancho has refused to rule out a transfer this summer, which leads something hanging in the balance, despite the player stating that he tends to not think too much about the speculation, which suggests that he had a good head on his shoulders.
United will need to spend £108 million (€120 million) on Sancho this summer, which in a post-coronavirus financial market could be a big ask, unless the Old Trafford club were able to agree on a lump sum up front then the rest paid in instalments, which might be beneficial for the Germany club in the future. Seldom do you see many transfers that put these sums of money up front with a player then joining a club, there always seems to be instalments. Sancho recently spoke to SoccerBible about the speculation surrounding him this summer, with him saying:
“It would be easy to get carried away with [the transfer speculation]. It can affect players. For me it’s about not looking at those things and just focusing on trying to do the best I can on the pitch… especially in training.
“For me it’s about improving every single day. It’s important for me to keep a smile on my face and keep happy. I don’t really look at all the noise and all that stuff. I’d rather keep my head down, keep focus and improve every day.”
The English winger seem to have a level head, which is a good sign for him during the future as if he remains at Borussia Dortmund for another season, the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, as well as United might be seeking to sign him next summer. Earlier on Saturday, Sancho played in the first of two warm up matches, scoring in the 5-1 victory over MSV Duisburg. Dortmund seem to be adamant that Sancho will stay at the club this summer, seemingly refusing to accept instalments from United, pushing for the entire fee upfront. Director Sebastian Kehl being quoted by Goal as saying:
“Jadon [Sancho] is happy to stay. He has a contract until 2023. I see him on the pitch and he is very happy. Everyone is very happy to have him. He is going to be here for at least one more season.”
United supporters may think that it would be the end of the world if United did not sign Sancho. However, everything happens for a reason. Whilst that reason this time would be the Glazers and Ed Woodward, United will still live on. United need to rebuild and the quality in the current squad needs to be raised. When the first XI are playing, things can work well but when you add fatigue, things do not go all that well, as was visible at the end of the season with United running out go puff. Former United striker, Andy Cole feels that Sancho’s prospective arrival could hamper Mason Greenwood’s progress at the club, which is an exciting future right there after the 18-year-old scored 17 goals and five assists in 49 appearances. Cole told the PA news agency, reported by The Sun:
“It’s scary and long may it continue. He can play as a nine and he can play out wide of a three, so it will be interesting to see where United think his best position is and what they see him as.
“If you have a player like Mason Greenwood then you can’t afford to block their progress. For me, the best number nine in the world is Robert Lewandowski. But there aren’t many, if any, Lewandowskis about.
“And if they do bring in Sancho then you’ve got to be careful as you don’t want to block [Greenwood’s] progress. United do need to bring in players as you must improve every season but it’s a fine balance.”
Written by John Walker
