Siddharth Juyal
Manchester United offered Jadon Sancho to Chelsea as part of a swap deal
As reported in Daily Mail, Manchester United proposed a swap deal to Chelsea, offering Jadon Sancho in exchange for let-back Marc Cucurella.
United needed to urgently address the void at left-back caused by Luke Shaw‘s injury. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag sought to fill that gap with Cucurella after also losing Tyrell Malacia to a fitness issue in pre-season.
Brandon Williams (22) and Alvaro Fernandez (20) were also allowed to leave on loan, which meant that the transfer market was the obvious option for us to solve this problem.
Cucurella’s stint at Chelsea didn’t quite pan out as expected. The Spain international had been previously named Player of the Season during his time with his former club, Brighton and Hove Albion.
To fill the left-back position, United secured Sergio Reguilon on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. In the absence of Shaw, Diogo Dalot filled the role during a match against Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Chelsea had already made numerous midfield signings during the summer transfer window and they already have Mykhaylo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer as options out wide.
Notably, Sancho was conspicuously absent from United’s game against Arsenal. Ten Hag candidly stated that Sancho’s performance in training fell short of the standards expected at United.
In response to the criticism, Sancho took to social media, implying that he was being made a scapegoat. The action, if any, against his insubordination by Ten Hag, remains pending.
Despite the controversy, Ten Hag included Sancho in the squad for the Champions League. To date, Sancho has made 82 appearances for United, scoring 12 goals.
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It seems fine that the swap deal didn’t happen. It would have been an odd deal and certainly one done in a panic situation that we could have regretted in the long run.
Cucurella’s purpose would have been served after Shaw and Malacia’s return while we would have alienated Sancho from our project. Ten Hag has to now carefully manage the Englishman and help him reach his full potential here.
One fallout cannot mean the end of an expensive player’s career at the club. His man-management skills will now be tested to the fullest. Otherwise, we shouldn’t have strategies of suitors if he is transfer-listed next year.
