After BVB snub: Jadon Sancho suffers another transfer blow | OneFootball

Without a club, Jadon Sancho could soon sign in Russia—after his former club Dortmund decided against a return in the summer.

Great confusion surrounds former BVB star Jadon Sancho. According to the Russian portal “Metaratings,” the attacking player is on the verge of a move to FC Krasnodar. The portal “Championat.ru” has now denied the rumor. While the 26-year-old is said to have been offered to the Russian club, the club itself is not pursuing a signing. The former Dortmund player has been without a club since June 30, after Manchester United allowed an option to extend his contract to expire. If the possibility of a move to Russia has indeed fallen through, Jadon Sancho’s search for a new club will continue.

FC Krasnodar currently plays in the Russian top flight and sits at the top of the table—two points ahead of Dinamo Moscow in second. Internationally, the club has played no role since being banned by FIFA and UEFA because of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and now plays its matches exclusively within Russia. From a sporting perspective, however, Krasnodar remains one of the country’s most consistent clubs: since the 2023/24 season, the team has never finished lower than second place, and in the 2024/25 campaign it even won the Russian championship for the first time. Krasnodar is therefore now regarded as a genuine top club in Russia. Accordingly, one thing is clear: although BVB fans will not be seeing their former attacking player back in Europe for the time being, Jadon Sancho will in all likelihood be competing for titles this season—provided a transfer goes through. The Englishman could then also try to rediscover his old form away from Europe’s media spotlight.

BVB decided against signing Jadon Sancho

At BVB, a deliberate decision had previously been made against the Englishman’s return. Sancho’s name had kept coming up throughout the summer transfer window, most recently especially loudly after Giannis Konstantelias tore his ACL against HSV on matchday one and many fans loudly called for the return of the free-agent Sancho. BVB managing director Lars Ricken ultimately commented on the fans’ calls to “BILD” and showed considerable understanding.

He did not question the winger’s past achievements in the slightest: “He has written himself into our history books and delivered good performances twice,” said Ricken. Nevertheless, another thought had taken priority for him: he preferred to bring new faces and fresh stories into the squad rather than rely on a familiar name. Instead of Sancho, Dortmund therefore signed Ethan Nwaneri on loan from Arsenal on deadline day, without an option to buy. Head coach Niko Kovač publicly defended the move as the best available solution.

Photo: Getty Images

The numbers also recently argued against a return from a sporting perspective: at Aston Villa, Jadon Sancho failed to score in 23 Premier League appearances, and across all competitions he managed just one goal and three assists in 39 matches. Other rumors about moves to Beşiktaş Istanbul, AS Roma, or most recently even to third-division side Arabian Falcons FC from the United Arab Emirates have so far come to nothing.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.