Jadon Sancho has proven exactly why Arsenal must broaden their search for a new winger in the summer transfer window.
The 24-year-old winger, who suffered defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, has been briefly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium as Mikel Arteta looks to further bolster his squad after another trophy-less campaign.
The Gunners are now four years without a piece of major silverware. While Arsenal managed to take the Premier League title race down to the final day, they dived out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals to Bayern Munich.
The north Londoners also lost to Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup third round and West Ham swept them aside in the Carabao Cup round of 16. With Arteta eager to strengthen his team and Sancho facing an uncertain future at Manchester United, Arsenal have been urged to make a ‘dynamite’ signing.
Speaking to Grosvenor Sport last month, Emmanuel Petit said: “I was saying how impressed I was with Jadon Sancho in the Champions League on commentary – he looks like a new player, so fit, thin and explosive.
“He’s like dynamite on the pitch, so explosive on the ball, so hard to catch. He’s back to his best and Man United look so far away from them, so if Arsenal want him, why not?
“You can put the best player in the world at Man United at the moment and they’d look average in two months. This is easily the worst Man United side I’ve ever seen.
“So many average players and Casemiro looks so poor. It must be so hard to be a Man United fan when you see the history of the club. They must be thinking: ‘What is going on?’”
Despite suffering defeat to Real Madrid, Sancho has largely impressed since joining Borussia Dortmund on loan in January. The England international featured 24 times for the German giants this season, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
Speaking on TNT Sports ahead of the Champions League final, Jose Mourinho insisted that Erik ten Hag must take some blame for how Sancho’s situation at Old Trafford. The former Chelsea manager said: “As a player we know his talent.
“For sure the kid made mistakes. But for sure also his manager was not able to get the best out of him. I think in this case for sure they [Manchester United] look at it and try to analyse what happened at Man United and what he found at Dortmund.”
With that being said, the Champions League final has proven exactly why Arsenal shouldn’t go for Sancho this summer. While Gabriel Martinelli struggled to impress on the left-wing at times this season, Leandro Trossard performed brilliantly when called upon, forcing himself into the starting lineup for next season.
For now, it remains to be seen whether or not the Gunners will pursue for a move for Sancho in the summer. But if they do, Arsenal must be ready to fork out a substantial fee for his signature, knowing the Red Devils won’t strengthen a Premier League rival without a price.
