Jadon Sancho: Four alternatives if Chelsea lose transfer battle with Manchester United

Tom Doyle26 March 2020

Jadon Sancho is a wanted man. The young winger's decision to leave Manchester City at the age of 16 has been vindicated and then some, earning his stripes for England after a sensational few years with Borussia Dortmund.

According to the CIES Football Observatory, Sancho is now the most valuable footballer in the top five European leagues born after the year 2000, with an estimated price tag of £184million.

That makes Dortmund's decision to sign Sancho for around £8m in 2017 one of the great deals in recent memory, but it is likely that BVB will accept something closer to £120m for the attacker, who turned 20 today.

Sancho's time at Dortmund has been fruitful for both: BVB got their hands on a potential generational talent for a song, while Sancho has been given time and space to develop in front of huge crowds in a technical division similar in pace to the Premier League.

But Sancho's spell in North Rhine-Westphalia has not been without its ups and downs: the winger was dropped and fined in October after returning late from international duty with England, and there appears to be an acceptance that should an offer north of £100m come in, Dortmund would bank that.

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The real question now is: where will he end up? Standard Sport understands that Manchester United lead the race, with Dortmund officials viewing the Red Devils as favourites to sign him ahead of Chelsea.

That's not to say Chelsea are out of the running: should the Blues qualify for Champions League football when the season restarts, a return to London to play in a young, exciting team led by Frank Lampard would be a tempting offer.

United currently sit a place behind Chelsea in fifth, but Man City's impending Uefa ban means they also currently occupy a Champions League spot - and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can also offer Sancho a starting role in a young front line with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood.

While Sancho faces one of the biggest decisions of his career this summer, he is in a privileged position: his situation at Dortmund is comfortable, and he can wait to see which Premier League team qualifies for Champions League football - and then wait for the best offer.

What is clear is that one of Chelsea or United will be left disappointed at the end of the next transfer window - and here are a few options who could soften that blow...

Hakim Ziyech | Ajax (will join Chelsea this summer)

Getty Images

Chelsea have, of course, already completed a deal for Ziyech to join the club from Ajax, with the 27-year-old starring in the Eredivisie.​ Ziyech has notched 10 goals and 16 assists across all competitions this season: while he is clearly capable of playing on the right flank for Chelsea, his most impressive displays this season have arguably come in the centre.

So while Ziyech will definitely be wearing a Chelsea shirt next term, Lampard may have a decision to make regarding his role. If, as expected, the Blues miss out on Sancho, will Lampard opt for Ziyech in a wide role - or will he make him the creative hub of his side and seek out another signing?

According to SmarterScout, Ziyech has spent 882 minutes as a right winger this term, and 607 in a central role.

SmarterScout (https://smarterscout.com/)

In that central role, he has been influencing games more both on and off the ball, excelling in both his ability to disrupt play (80/100) and recover the ball (93/100).

His creativity is clear with 94/100 for passing towards goal, while on the flank his link-up play and hassling drops slightly in favour of a keener eye for goal; his shooting soaring from 38/100 to 76/100.

SmarterScout (https://smarterscout.com/)

It may be the case that while Ziyech is a clear solution on the flank, he may end up being wasted out wide.

Lucas Ocampos | Sevilla

The Argentine's impressive form for Sevilla could put him on Chelsea's radar.

Like Ziyech, he would fit Lampard's high-energy game with excellent defensive numbers: 96/100 for defending quality, including 80/100 for disrupt and 91/100 for recover).

REUTERS

Ocampos boasts strong scores across the board, and his ability to dribble (85/100) and receive the ball in the box (89/100) mark him out as somebody who could play well with Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Solid in the air and with some height, Ocampos would also be an asset at set-pieces, and wouldn't cost the earth.

The 25-year-old has scored 10 LaLiga goals this season, but his output in terms of assists - just two - mean if Lampard is looking for more of an outright winger, Ocampos is more of a Pedro than a Willian.

Serge Gnabry | Bayern Munich

AP

The 24-year-old failed to make the grade at Arsenal, but is now dominating in the Bundesliga.​ Gnabry has scoring 11 goals and set up another nine more in the German top flight this term, and has netting six in the Champions League - four in the 7-2 victory at Tottenham, and two at Stamford Bridge in Bayern's 3-0 win.

Gnabry's adaptability has seen him play on the left, centrally, and on the right this term, which would offer Lampard plenty of options for when games come thick and fast - and with an attacking score of 97/100 out wide, Gnabry makes a strong case for becoming one of Europe's leading forwards in the coming years.

The Germany international would not be a like-for-like alternative to Sancho, but going in for him with Ziyech already wrapped up would bulk up Chelsea's attack considerably - especially when it comes to winning duels, scoring 65/100 in possession, 87/100 without the ball, and 81/100 for ball retention.

SmarterScout (https://smarterscout.com/)

The main problem would be in actually convincing Bayern to sell: the Bavarians wanted Callum Hudson-Odoi and were unsuccessful, so it stands to reason they might not be keen to sell Gnabry to the Blues.

Gnabry also looks settled in Germany, so unless Chelsea could come up with a huge contract, guarantee Champions League football and something akin to a five-year plan, it looks doubtful

Gnabry's love for Arsenal may also count against any move, but were Chelsea to use the money earmarked for Sancho, Bayern could have a big decision on their hands.

Ismaila Sarr | Watford

REUTERS

The 22-year-old has had a mixed debut season at Vicarage Road, though it mitigation, the Hornets have had three different coaches.

Sarr seems to have found his feet with current boss Nigel Pearson, with his starring role in the 3-0 win over Liverpool - with two goals and an assist - evidence of the huge potential he has.

SmarterScout shows favourable stats for Sarr, who scores highly for attacking output (88/100), defending quality (79/100), and ranks 99/100 for shooting, dribbling and receiving the ball in the box.

SmarterScout (https://smarterscout.com/)

This summer may come too early for Sarr to make a switch to a bigger club, but Everton's big-money move for Richarlison suggests the Hornets are open to selling on young talent for a premium.

Sarr could well be better served by spending another year at Watford, providing they stay up - but should they be relegated, Chelsea may fancy their chances of a cut-price deal

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