Jadon Sancho (confirmed loan signing)

[Monty]

I woke up this morning with what was either a mild hangover, a mild cold, or a mix of both. I wasn't in the best of moods - I'd underslept, forgotten to set the alarm and only got up in time to get to work by the grace and precision of my laser-guided body clock, which unerringly pings me awake at the exact point for having both insufficient rest and insufficient time to both shower and have breakfast at home. It goes without saying that it was raining, and as I trudged to work through the early morning tourists and the commuters with their blank haunted faces, I thought of the forgiving example of our lord Jesus Christ, of the Buddha's exhortations to cultivate inner peace, of Confucius' reminding us to avoid hasty judgements.

I then watched the highlights video of Jadon Sancho last season at Chelsea. Goals, skills, assists. Well there weren't a lot of the former, though what there was was good in that way that players against the Villa always seem to have (ping, the ball-missile, the roof of the net) and that Villa players never do (the bobble off the knee, the in-off-the-keeper). There were precious few of the latter too, though once again what was there indicated a guy who knows how to kick a football in the way you only tend to see in a Champions League game you've got on in the background while you pretend to read Beckett.

But of skills there was abundance. Jinking both inside and outside (that's both sides), that thing where his legs go all wavy like like looking at a pencil in water, the other thing where he does a very tiny chip over the sliding defender at full speed, all that shit. And in my new spirit of wisdom and contemplation, I thought, well, I was dead against Rashford when he was arrived and he turned out...pretty good I guess, and you know, who cares if most of that dazzling footwork resulted in him passing square or even losing the ball, and actually let's not think about the fact that footage of him losing the ball made it into his personal highlights of the season.

The point is, let's give him a chance. He looks happy enough in that photo, which as we know is the major indicator of a player's true level of motivation, so why not just sit back and hope it all works out. I'm off to download a mindfulness app.

[Dave]

So they will sign him if doing so means they will make more than £13 million in a transfer fee or if the combined amount they can offset in wages plus the value of a loan fee is greater than £13 million.

Fairly straightforward.

I can't see any circumstance where he tears up the league that somebody wouldn't think he was worth paying more than £13 million for, whether it was Villa or someone else.

Can you see any circumstances where Sancho says "actually, I'd rather not accept this new salary from a club I'm being pushed towards and I'll just see out another 12 months of contract and choose where I want to go"?

[cdbearsfan]

It's Man United's option, not his. Isn't it?

[Sexual Ealing]

I woke up this morning with what was either a mild hangover, a mild cold, or a mix of both. I wasn't in the best of moods - I'd underslept, forgotten to set the alarm and only got up in time to get to work by the grace and precision of my laser-guided body clock, which unerringly pings me awake at the exact point for having both insufficient rest and insufficient time to both shower and have breakfast at home. It goes without saying that it was raining, and as I trudged to work through the early morning tourists and the commuters with their blank haunted faces, I thought of the forgiving example of our lord Jesus Christ, of the Buddha's exhortations to cultivate inner peace, of Confucius' reminding us to avoid hasty judgements.

I then watched the highlights video of Jadon Sancho last season at Chelsea. Goals, skills, assists. Well there weren't a lot of the former, though what there was was good in that way that players against the Villa always seem to have (ping, the ball-missile, the roof of the net) and that Villa players never do (the bobble off the knee, the in-off-the-keeper). There were precious few of the latter too, though once again what was there indicated a guy who knows how to kick a football in the way you only tend to see in a Champions League game you've got on in the background while you pretend to read Beckett.

But of skills there was abundance. Jinking both inside and outside (that's both sides), that thing where his legs go all wavy like like looking at a pencil in water, the other thing where he does a very tiny chip over the sliding defender at full speed, all that shit. And in my new spirit of wisdom and contemplation, I thought, well, I was dead against Rashford when he was arrived and he turned out...pretty good I guess, and you know, who cares if most of that dazzling footwork resulted in him passing square or even losing the ball, and actually let's not think about the fact that footage of him losing the ball made it into his personal highlights of the season.

The point is, let's give him a chance. He looks happy enough in that photo, which as we know is the major indicator of a player's true level of motivation, so why not just sit back and hope it all works out. I'm off to download a mindfulness app.

Om.

[Dave]

It's Man United's option, not his. Isn't it?

They can extend his contract if they want to and agree to pay him another year of mental wages.

They can't do that and then sell him to another club without his consent to move to that club.

So he banks another year of wages, and moves where he wants for a crazy signing-on fee in summer 2027 instead of doing it in 2026. Particularly given that in this thought experiment, he's coming off a season in which he's lit up the Premier League, so probably isn't the "Chelsea paid to not have to sign him" misfit of recent times.

[PeterWithesShin]

For it to happen in my main examples us and ManU, and us and Sancho would all be in agreement before the contract is extended. Maybe Sancho is as happy as a pig in shit, we're in the CL and he really wants to stay. 10m and 150k a week for 4 years is less than we paid for Onana before his wages. There's scenarios where it could happen and more scenarios where it doesn't. It seems pretty simple to accept that both are possibilities.

[cdbearsfan]

It's Man United's option, not his. Isn't it?

They can extend his contract if they want to and agree to pay him another year of mental wages.

They can't do that and then sell him to another club without his consent to move to that club.

So he banks another year of wages, and moves where he wants for a crazy signing-on fee in summer 2027 instead of doing it in 2026. Particularly given that in this thought experiment, he's coming off a season in which he's lit up the Premier League, so probably isn't the "Chelsea paid to not have to sign him" misfit of recent times.

I see what you mean now, ta. I still think they'd probably extend his contract if he's amazing and assume they'll be able to get him to agree to a new deal with a potential suitor which may or may not be Villa.

Hopefully he is amazing, so we find out one way or the other.

[robleflaneur]

Like Hudson-Odoi who was capped at 18,I think his career wasn't helped by Southgate picking him so often before he was 21.In certain players that can breed a "I know it all attitude" and leave them ill equipped to deal with setbacks.
Is he any better than Malen was my initial reaction .Off to Wiki and in his 3 full seasons at Dortmund ,his goal ratio was better and Malen probably benefited from playing centrally.
And in those 3 seasons,Sancho got more than 1 in 3 whereas Bailey got less than 1 in 4 for Leverkusen.

[LeeS]

Heard this morning that Chelsea needed to exercise their buy option or pay the £5m by the end of June. That’s why they didn’t do it, it was all too hasty and they had other options. If true, that puts a slightly different slant on it than a simple, “he was so unimpressive they’d rather pay 5m than keep him”

[PeterWithe]

I dunno, could he have got more or less impressive after June?

[Demitri_C]

Heard this morning that Chelsea needed to exercise their buy option or pay the £5m by the end of June. That’s why they didn’t do it, it was all too hasty and they had other options. If true, that puts a slightly different slant on it than a simple, “he was so unimpressive they’d rather pay 5m than keep him”

My chelsea mate who is a season ticket holder swears by that sancho worked out to be a really decent loan signing. So heres hoping

Didn't want him but will give him full backing  now he is here

[django]

I think he’ll be a good signing. His career has been a bit of a disappointment but that’s from a very prodigious start.

His loans to Dortmund and Chelsea have been reasonably successful. His stats are better than Leon Baileys who he replaces in the squad.

His wages are ridiculous but putting money into wages rather than transfer fees makes sense for our current predicament.

[Martyn Smith]

Sancho talking about how Rashford told him the club was a very happy, friendly place, like family, and that he enjoyed his time with us very much

Which on the first beat is nice to hear, but on the second makes me wonder if that is actually a problem. Is Villa just a little too cosy? Are feet touching the floor a bit too much? Is there not enough blood sweat and tears? Are people being worked hard enough?

I don't know. Just that those words made me wonder...

[PaulWinch again]

Well on the basis we’ve finished 7th, 4th, and 6th I’d suggest not.

[eamonn]

Yeah, it's all just platitudes from obscenely wealthy young sportsmen who have done enough media training to know what to say in these types of interviews.