The former Manchester United left winger has taken a turn that would have been unthinkable just five years ago.
Jadon Sancho could get a new lifeline in the Premier League – despite a shocking career decline that has taken him from being a Manchester United star to struggling as a free agent.
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When Sancho arrived at Old Trafford as United’s big summer signing in 2021 – at a cost of £73 million – no one could have predicted how it would turn out.
Five years later, the Englishman is a free agent, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest flop signings of all time. Nevertheless, two Premier League clubs may still be willing to bet on the former United player.
Two Premier League clubs in talks with Sancho
Since the transfer window closed a week ago, Sancho – as a free agent – has been able to negotiate with anyone, at any time.
The 26-year-old winger has since been linked with clubs all over the world. Some reports suggested that he already had a deal in place with Brazilian side Palmeiras, while perhaps the most sensational proposal came from Dubai club Arabian Falcons, who were hoping to lure him to the United Arab Emirates.
Now, however, it looks like Sancho could still return to the Premier League. TEAMtalk reports that two English clubs have made contact with Sancho in recent days.
The report does not identify which clubs are in question, but confirms that at least two Premier League clubs are in talks with the Englishman over a transfer.
Former clubs – and one ruled out return
So far in his career, Sancho has represented three different Premier League clubs: Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa.
A return to United is obviously out of the question, and it also seems unlikely that he will return to any of the other former clubs.
After a loan spell at Aston Villa last season, the midland club had the opportunity to make the transfer permanent – but chose not to take advantage of it.
Chelsea are also not expected to be interested in bringing him back to Stamford Bridge after a weak loan spell in which he only contributed 14 goals in 41 games.
If he chooses not to return to England, it is believed that former club Borussia Dortmund still want to bring Sancho back to Germany.
What went wrong at United?
When Sancho arrived at United with 114 goals in 137 appearances for Dortmund and 22 caps for England, expectations were sky-high.
Instead, he finished with just 18 assists in 83 appearances for United – and spent much of his time on loan elsewhere.
It’s hard to pinpoint a single reason for the slump, but his inability to establish himself under four different managers – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag – is testament to how seriously he fell out of favour.
The turning point arguably came when Ten Hag left him out of the squad against Arsenal in September 2023. The Dutchman claimed that Sancho’s training performances were not up to scratch – something Sancho publicly disputed in a major conflict between the two, claiming that he had been made a “scapegoat”.
He never played for United again after his break-up with Ten Hag – an incident that has undoubtedly shaped how both fans and clubs perceive him.
No matter what happens next for Sancho – and wherever he ends up – one thing is certain: he will still attract attention.
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