The yearning is utterly irrational from a sporting perspective! Why Borussia Dortmund must not bring Jadon Sancho back under any circumstances

Giannis Konstantelias is out for a long time at Borussia Dortmund and the fans are dreaming of Jadon Sancho. But with another move to bring the Englishman back, Borussia Dortmund would undermine their own squad strategy. A comment.

Borussia Dortmund are under pressure just before the transfer window shuts. The long-term absence of new signing Giannis Konstantelias (cruciate ligament rupture) has suddenly left a hole in BVB's squad. The question now is how the Westphalians respond. One obvious option, and one they could still sign later, may well tempt Dortmund. His name is: Jadon Sancho.

The Englishman has already had two spells at BVB and is currently without a club. That makes him available on a free transfer, and he knows Dortmund inside out. More than anything, though, he is a name that stirs emotions. That is exactly the problem.

Speaking on Sunday on Sky90 , managing director Carsten Cramer said hardly any name would electrify BVB in the way Sancho does. A quick glance at social media suggests he is right. From a purely sporting perspective, though, the excitement around the now 26-year-old makes little sense. BVB should not bring Sancho back, especially not now. Not despite his past, but because of his present.

How much of a fee did BVB once receive for Jadon Sancho?

Since his €85 million move from Dortmund to Manchester United in 2021, Sancho has been chasing the form he once showed at BVB. It says plenty that the 23-cap international has now ended up without a club, while no side with ambitions comparable to Dortmund's appears interested in him.

Statistically, the past five years paint a clear picture. Over that period, Sancho has 184 competitive appearances with 21 goals and 22 assists. He averaged fewer than 60 minutes per match and needed just under 250 minutes for a goal involvement.

That is not a snapshot. It is a pattern that has lasted for years. Sancho undoubtedly electrified Dortmund between 2017 and 2021. He is not that player any more.

Jadon Sancho has been chasing his top form in vain for years

Even his half-season loan spell at BVB in the winter of 2024 does not change the picture. Back then too, Sancho's lack of consistency was the issue, even if he did produce the odd flash of brilliance in the Champions League and Bundesliga. Those few good performances stick in the memory because they stood out, not because they reflected Sancho's normal level.

BVB cannot base reliable squad planning on a handful of better games. Yet that is exactly the situation they face now. After Konstantelias' absence, Borussia need pace, dynamism and runs in behind, so they need a player who brings those qualities to the pitch regularly. People believed the Greek, who had started so strongly, could do exactly that.

Recently, Sancho has not offered any of it, not at ManUnited, not in Dortmund and not during his two subsequent loans to Chelsea and Aston Villa. Signing a player who has spent several years unsuccessfully chasing his old top form would not be a logical response to Konstantelias' injury. It would be a gamble on a distant past.

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Most of all, a Sancho transfer would cut completely across the anti-stale-smell path that the "new BVB" (Cramer) have recently taken under sporting director Ole Book. Dortmund chose to part ways with players such as Niklas Süle and Julian Brandt because their performances were not consistent enough over a longer period. Bringing back Sancho now, when the same applies to him, makes no more sense than the in some cases pitifully failed return moves in previous years for the likes of Mario Götze, Shinji Kagawa or Nuri Sahin, which were later often romantically glorified.

Nor is it enough to argue that Sancho could still make a difference because of his potentially outstanding ability. Yes, he can probably still decide matches on very good days. What matters, though, is not whether a footballer basically possesses extraordinary ability, but how often he can call on it.

Longing for Sancho among some BVB fans is not entirely hard to understand. It is irrational, though, because it is not based on his current level of performance. Dortmund cannot allow themselves to be guided by a name just because that name has a special past when they look for a replacement for Konstantelias. The biggest price BVB would pay for signing free agent Sancho would be undermining their own squad strategy.

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