Arsenal and Jadon Sancho: If only

Jadon Sancho has been a revelation for Borussia Dortmund ever since joining from Manchester City, but I cannot help myself thinking this revelation should be Arsenal’s.

I always fail to understand the many puzzling and questionable moves that Arsenal have made in the management of their players. From letting the contracts of the best players reach the last year to not signing the necessary players, there is a slew of maddening, unfathomably foolish decisions being made each and every season.

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With Arsenal now calling out for a winger, I still seem not to understand why Jadon Sancho was not signed. No, not this winter. He will cost crazy money now. But that was not the case in 2017.

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I was pining for him ever since I found out he was desperate to leave Manchester City and was dumbfounded the Gunners did not do everything possible to get him ahead of Borussia Dortmund. With their continuous search for a winger, after the capture of Suarez on loan, this could have been an in-house solution. If only.

I still, to this day, wonder how Sancho isn’t pulling on the Arsenal red considering:

1. He was (still is) close friends with Reiss Nelson. It’s no secret that Reiss and Jadon are best of friends. They used to go out together while in England and motivate each other while in Germany.

2. He would have cost peanuts. He did actually cost peanuts. Just like Matteo Guendouzi, £8m for a player of his quality and potential is a crazy bargain.

3. He needed game time. Game time is a real deal maker or breaker for young and talented players and Arsenal, especially under Arsene Wenger, were famed for giving youngsters said game time, so if Wenger truly tried to convince Sancho as he claims, then I see no reason why he would not join.

4. He would have stayed in England. Relocating is no easy feat, especially when it’s not a loan but a permanent move to a different country with different cultures. Just ask Chris Willock. Being a 17-year-old does not make that any easier and it has been amazing how Sancho has handled it. But don’t you ever think he wouldn’t have been happy to stay in England. Granted, he probably doesn’t have a tinge of regret joining Dortmund in Germany, but England is his home.

5. He was already clearly a future star. His potential was clear and Wenger saw this. While he tried to sign him, he does not really say what hindered him from completing the deal. Such was Sancho’s talent, though, missing out should not have been an option.

So there you have it. Another potential star missed. Sometimes, I wonder what could have been. Imagine Sancho on one wing and Nelson on the other. If only.