With news breaking that Chelsea are considering against triggering their buy option in Jadon Sancho’s contract, it once again begs this question: How can one of the hottest English prospects of the 21st century fail to perform on such a regular basis?

La version Dortmund de Jadon Sancho 😎💛pic.twitter.com/KVaU7AO1Wm

— Vibes Foot (@VibesFoot) February 13, 2025

Tipped for the very top of the game after leaving Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund at 17 years-old, Sancho made the German Bundesliga look like a true farmers league with his electric pace, dizzyingly quick feet and eye for goal.

Boasting 50 goals and a further 57 assists in just 137 games for the German outfit, the winger appeared ready for a big move back to his homeland, with Manchester United circling the youngster.

But from the moment he stepped out onto the Old Trafford turf for then manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, something seemed off. Gone was the direct, perpetually threatening and downright scary Jadon Sancho of Germany. In his place, a more tentative individual had taken his place, one unwilling to take risks, the sort of player who could have been purchased for £20 million, rather than the eye-watering £73 million United stumped up for him.

The form he showed at Dortmund has rarely graced the pitch since, aside from during a loan spell back at the German club in the second half of 2023/24. So what happened to Jadon Sancho? Why might Chelsea opt against triggering his buy option? And will he ever be able to thrive at an English club?

A Season of Two Halves

When Chelsea agreed a deadline day loan deal for Sancho to increase their options on the wing, many were hailing it as a smart move, and Sancho himself was positively chuffed with the deal, saying on Instagram “Wishing everyone all the best in the future” regarding his departure from Man United.

It appeared he had no intention of returning, determined to impress in Enzo Maresca’s young squad, and when Marcus Rashford made a similar farewell post after his loan move to Aston Villa in January, Sancho commented "freedom" underneath, referencing to how trapped he felt at Old Trafford.

That freedom comment done irreversible damage to sancho 😭 https://t.co/qSbisZtkFX

— YTG 🦅 (@YTGSUII) March 22, 2025

As soon as the deal went through, it was revealed that Chelsea had a £25 million obligation to buy Sancho if the London club finished 14th or above in 2024/25, and seeing as they haven’t finished below that in the Premier League era, the permanence of the loan deal seemed guaranteed.

Sancho had an excellent start to the season for the Blues, setting up a late Christopher Nkunku winner on his debut against Bournemouth, and followed that performance with two more assists in wins over West Ham and Brighton.

After a handful of quiet games, he then netted his first goal for the club in a demolition job of Southampton, before scoring a stunning long-range strike the next game in a dramatic win over Tottenham.

Jadon Sancho goal vs Tottenham.

Sensational 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/eWI5sHn3Tk

— Dennoh (@CFC_dennoh) January 9, 2025

In January, the winger pulled off a couple of superb pieces of skill to set up Cole Palmer against Crystal Palace, work that was receiving “assist of the season” shouts. However, in the 18 games since, Sancho’s form has receded, and he hasn’t provided a goal or assist since the first game of the New Year.

It was a drastic drop in form from a man who at the start of the season was labelled “Chelsea’s best winger,” and he has subsequently seen his minutes diminished, with Maresca preferring Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku in his favoured left wing position.

There is no doubting Sancho’s talent; when he has possession of the ball, you can see why United paid such a substantial price for him. But the difference between Dortmund Sancho and Premier League Sancho is that he has almost completely removed risk from his game.

In Germany, the Englishman would have taken on one, two, even three men with no questions asked, eager to illustrate why the fans adored him in Dortmund. But in England, he appears to be carrying baggage, the sort that is making him think too much.

Sizing up a defender and then opting for a safe backwards pass have become a frustratingly familiar sight for Chelsea fans, while the United faithful watch on knowingly. So what could be the issue?

Price Tag? Different League?

There are a number of possible contributors. The most obvious one would be the hefty price tag. Anyone purchased for £50 million or more is expected to perform right away, whether that is a fair expectation or not. Sancho clearly needed time to develop when he returned to England, time that Manchester United’s fans weren’t willing to give him.

DONE DEAL: An agreement has been reached between Man United & Dortmund for @sanchooo10's move to Old Trafford. 👹🔜 (via @FabrizioRomano) pic.twitter.com/yowkOUt3ik

— 433 (@433) June 30, 2021

But more importantly than that, the £73 million fee would have weighed on Sancho himself, and the feeling of constantly being under pressure to change games can prove suffocating to some. Had he been purchased for even half the original fee, there would have been less expectation, and thus he would expect less from himself, allowing him to relax and perform without the critics watching for every mistake.

Another contributing factor could be the league itself. Perhaps Sancho can only perform in Germany, where the style of football is different, less physical, and slightly faster paced, all traits that benefit the fleet-footed winger.

With the wider variety of talent, distributed more evenly throughout the Premier League, teams are a lot closer together in terms of quality, and perhaps this is what has rendered Sancho ineffectual. With the mid to lower table teams still capable of defending valiantly, Sancho has less opportunity to open up less talented teams and add to his stats like he did in Germany.

His Premier League record certainly supports this. With over 100 goal contributions in less than 150 games in German football, Sancho’s 11 assists and 17 goals in 111 games for English sides are pathetic in comparison, and don’t match up to the player that both Man United and Chelsea thought they were getting.

So what will it take for the prodigy-turned-failure to get his career back on track?

Sancho’s next move

As it stands, Chelsea have not brought themselves out of the £25 million obligation. However, the fact that the information of a buy-out clause exists in the public domain indicates that Chelsea are certainly thinking about it.

Should they pay the £5 million fee to avoid signing Sancho permanently, the winger would find himself unwanted but under contract at Manchester United, and with little prospect of finding another high-profile move to somewhere he would be more comfortable.

The most obvious next move for Sancho is third stint at Dortmund. His spell there last season showed that he is still a beloved figure there, and his form certainly picked back up once he returned to the Signal Iduna Park.

Jadon Sancho is the first Englishman EVER to complete 11+ take-ons in a single Champions League game.

It's been SIXTEEN YEARS since the last time a player completed more dribbles a UCL semifinal: Lionel Messi against Man United in 2008.

(via @Squawka) pic.twitter.com/1uVDoHIGlU

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 1, 2024

However, it remains to be seen whether the German outfit would be willing to make that move again, such has been the collapse of Sancho’s form in England.

There are rumours that Bayer Leverkusen are also circling, with a move to the reigning German champions certainly more attractive than a move to struggling Dortmund, who find themselves in a lowly 11th place.

Chelsea winger Jadon Sancho is ‘desperate’ to make a return to Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Dortmund are warming to the option, but could face competition from Bayer Leverkusen. (BILD) pic.twitter.com/KPSjWZbL0j

— ChelsTransfer (@ChelsTransfer) March 25, 2025

However, the crucial question surrounding any transfer is “is he an upgrade?” And quite honestly, in his current state, I don't think Sancho is an improvement for any side in Europe's top five leagues, except maybe those in and around the relegation zone.

He is simply too low on confidence to take the game by the scruff of its neck like he used to, and now proving ineffective even from the bench, his time at the top of the game seems to be running out fast.

Something must change, whether it is his attitude, routine, training exercises, even diet, just something that could spark a positive change for the undoubtedly gifted winger. If he can start chipping in with goals and assists at Chelsea, there is still a chance he will have a home next season.

But should his current form continue, Jadon Sancho could find himself added to the long, long list of wonderkids who failed to fulfil their massive potential.