Why Borussia Dortmund must keep Jadon Sancho this summer
Borussia Dortmund began the season with a bang, steamrolling past everyone on their way as they looked set to be back to their best under the new coach, Lucien Favre.
But as the season progressed, especially in the beginning of the second half of the campaign, an injury to Marco Reus derailed their brilliant run of form, and Bayern Munich caught up with them in the league. Tactical naivety also caused an exit to Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League round of 16.
Despite all this, there’s been one big revelation, and that has been English wunderkind, Jadon Sancho. The starlet was signed from Manchester City as a 17-year-old in the summer of 2017, and the youngster started making his mark towards the end of last season.
He scored his first Bundesliga goal on 21 April 2018. A year later, he scored his 12th goal in the league. Since Lucien Favre came, he has displaced Christian Pulisic from the starting line-up, and has more goals in the German top division than the American, despite playing 43 games less than him.
Borussia Dortmund as we know are a selling club, and they have parted with their stars at regular intervals in the past few seasons. With the brilliant performances of Sancho, in came interest from clubs across Europe, with Manchester United apparently having the most interest in the player.
The youngster alongside Marco Reus has kept the Borussia Dortmund attack ticking. With 12 goals and 18 assists in 39 appearances this season, Sancho has been involved in a Dortmund goal every 89 minutes, which is a brilliant number for a 19-year-old.
His speed and technical qualities are unmatched, and he takes defenders on a ride whenever he gets an opportunity to do so. A strong dribbler with brilliant passing vision, Dortmund have a gem of a player on their hands, and they should continue to build their team around him and Marco Reus for next season.
Alexander Isak is having a brilliant loan spell in the Eredivisie. Dortmund is linked to the likes of Thorgan Hazard, David Neres, and Donny van de Beek. These signings could just make their attack a far sharper unit than they have right now.
All said and done, Dortmund must keep the player and let him continue his development at the Signal Iduna Park, which will benefit both the player and the club. An attacker of his breed is rare, and Dortmund must make the most of him.