Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has poured scorn on one of Aston Villa’s transfer deadline day loan deals.
Villa signed Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott on an initial loan with an obligation to buy, and brought Jadon Sancho in from Manchester United on a temporary basis to bolster their front line.
Carragher is never shy of an opinion or a willingness to exaggerate it for attention, and while he has perhaps vocalised some of the question marks Villa supporters have over the loan acquisition of Sancho, his analysis in a recent chat with some YouTuber on The Overlap might be considered a little harsh.
The YouTuber in question suggested that Sancho was United’s worst-ever signing, a notion that might more sensibly have been diluted by a respected pundit.
“It’s funny with Jadon Sancho. Back when he was at Borussia Dortmund, Gary Neville and I were on a show where we had to pick an England squad,” said Carragher.
“We hadn’t seen too much of him – he was doing well in the Champions League, but we left him out. Everyone on social media was saying, ‘How can you not pick Sancho?’ I’m still not sure there’s that much ability there. He’s okay, but I don’t really see what his standout quality is.”
Carragher compared Sancho with his former United colleague, Marcus Rashford, who spoke to Sancho about Villa having played under Unai Emery on loan at Villa Park last season.
“With Marcus Rashford, even though I’ve criticised him, I can picture his pace, his shooting, his free kicks, and the power he puts into the ball. With Sancho, I just don’t know what his thing is – I can’t picture it in my head,” added the ex-Liverpool man.
Sancho’s move to Villa does come with some doubts after both Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund passed up the opportunity to sign him permanently after loan spells. Rumoured interest from Roma and Juventus in Serie A didn’t lead to serious talks, reportedly because of his salary demands.
The player’s contribution in big games in his last couple of loan seasons left a little to be desired after a very difficult time at Old Trafford but he has at times in his career been far better than Carragher gives him credit for.
Even last season, Sancho had an impact in Chelsea’s Conference League campaign. He scored two goals and racked up five assists in eight appearances, including a goal in the final. His form in the Premier League was less striking by far.
With Dortmund in 2023/24, Sancho was unable to replicate the form he found in his first spell at the Westfalenstadion, when was a crucial player and was productive in terms of goal contributions.
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