Was Manchester United right in not signing Jadon Sancho?

On the final day of the summer transfer window, Manchester United ended up with Alex Telles, Edinson Cavani, Amad Traore, and Facundo Pellistri.

Out of those four signings, Amad Traore and Facundo Pellestri are future prospects and are yet to show their performances at the highest level. The Old Trafford faithful still feels it was an incomplete transfer window as they failed to sign their top priority target Jadon Sancho.

Sancho, the Borussia Dortmund sensation, is touted as one of the generational talents because of his exploits in the Bundesliga. He has accounted for 29 goals and 30 assists in the previous two seasons for the German outfit.

The player was linked with a move to Old Trafford and Anfield during the winter transfer window of last season. As the season progressed, Red Devils emerged as the front runners to sign the winger from BVB. With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sealing third spot in the Premier League standings, the deal seemed closer than ever.

Despite the 20-year-old agreeing personal terms with Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund couldn’t agree on a fee with the English side. Dortmund stood firm on their valuation of €120 million for the right-winger.

The Premier League club didn’t meet their demands, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason the deal never went through. This made fans unhappy and disgruntled as the club failed to sign their top-priority target after chasing him for close to 6 months.

But not signing the winger from Germany can be a blessing in disguise for the club. It was not only that Ed Woodward had to pay €120 million but including the agent fees it would have taken the deal upwards of €200 million over the course of five years.

That is massive money that United are guilty of paying to the wrong players in the past. Though Sancho is highly-rated, it is still huge money for a player who is yet to win a title with any club at senior level.

Moreover, the England international was found guilty of violating COVID protocols. He was found partying with his fellow teammates from England, Tammy Abraham, and Ben Chilwell, along with an unidentified blonde woman.

Since the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjar, though Manchester United are yet to win any trophies, they have shipped out “Prima Donnas” from the club. Signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund would have created chaos in the dressing room.

Against Tottenham Hotspur, the Harry Maguire led side shipped in six goals and lost the game by 6-1 at Old Trafford. Despite going in front in the first minute of the game, the team was out of the game within 37 minutes.

The team went down to 10 men before the clock hit the half-an-hour mark. The defense was in a shambolic condition while the midfield went invisible in the first half. The game went on to show that United are in dire need of either a new pacy defender or an abundance of confidence.

Since their loss to Sevilla in the Europa League semifinals, they are yet to recover from the defensive frailties. Ole’s men have shipped in 11 goals in just three games. The defensive woes are real.

The fans are dejected with the transfer business that took place but it could turn out to be a master-stroke too. The team needs a new defender more than an attacker. The midfield is quite heavily loaded, including the signing of Donny van de Beek from Ajax.

Though there are seven central defenders, a leader who can marshall the defense is required at the club. Jadon Sancho could have been a marquee signing and might have brought the team on par with Liverpool and Manchester City.

Although, as one of the famous phrases go, “Attacks wins you games. defense wins you titles”. The funds which are left by not signing their primary transfer targets can be used to sign the players in the January transfer window, with dark clouds looming over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future at Old Trafford.