I can understand why Jadon Sancho would be an intriguing proposition for West Ham, even if I am not convinced he is the signing Nuno Espirito Santo actually needs.
The Hammers have reportedly been offered the opportunity to sign the former Manchester United winger, who is currently a free agent after his contract at Old Trafford expired in the summer. According to talkSPORT, Sancho’s representatives have approached West Ham as the 26-year-old continues to search for his next club.
And that immediately makes this an interesting situation.
Here is a player Manchester United paid £73 million to sign from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, yet West Ham could potentially acquire him without paying a transfer fee.
That sounds like an obvious bargain on the surface.
I am not so sure.
West Ham offered a chance to sign Sancho
West Ham are attempting to bounce straight back to the Premier League and have already assembled an impressive squad for their Championship campaign.
Arne Engels and Manor Solomon were among their notable summer additions, while Nuno now has considerable attacking options at his disposal.
Adding Sancho to that group would certainly make headlines.
The former England international remains only 26 and, at his best, possesses the technical quality to become one of the most dangerous attacking players in the Championship.
The problem is that we have not seen the best version of Sancho consistently for some time.
Since leaving Dortmund for Manchester United, his career has gone in a very different direction from what many expected.
He managed only 12 Premier League goals and 13 assists in 112 appearances, while his five-year Manchester United spell ultimately ended with the club allowing his contract to expire.
He subsequently spent time on loan at Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and Aston Villa.
His latest season at Aston Villa produced 39 appearances, although only two goals, and he left the club after their European campaign. His final appearance came as a late substitute in Villa’s Europa League final victory over Freiburg in May.
So, while the talent remains obvious, there is a considerable gap between the Sancho we remember from Dortmund and the player we have seen in recent seasons.
But imagine Sancho rediscovering his Dortmund form
This is where I can understand West Ham being tempted.
Before his move to Manchester, Sancho was one of European football’s most exciting young attackers.
His Borussia Dortmund numbers remain outstanding. Across 118 Bundesliga appearances, he scored 40 goals and provided 54 assists.
That is the player West Ham would be hoping to unlock.
Sancho is capable of operating primarily from the left but can also play on the opposite flank. His close control, dribbling, creativity and ability to receive the ball in tight areas could make him a nightmare for Championship defenders.
If he rediscovered anything close to his Dortmund form, I have little doubt that he could become one of the division’s standout players.
And that is precisely what makes this opportunity so tempting.
West Ham would not be paying a transfer fee for him.
But there is an important catch.
Free transfer does not mean cheap signing
I would not describe Sancho as a genuinely free signing in financial terms.
Although there would be no transfer fee, his wages could be substantial.
Sancho was reportedly earning around £250,000 per week at Manchester United, while Getafe have recently offered him a dramatically reduced £10,000-a-week deal as they attempt to bring him to Spain.
That enormous difference tells me that Sancho’s wage expectations could be one of the biggest obstacles to any move.
He has also been linked with clubs in several different countries while he considers his next step, and Getafe have already made a formal proposal.
So West Ham would need to decide whether the potential reward justifies the financial commitment.
Does Nuno actually need him?
This is where I think the argument becomes more complicated.
If I were looking at West Ham’s squad purely from a positional perspective, I would struggle to say Sancho is an essential signing.
Manor Solomon provides an established option on the left, while £18 million signing Edvin Austbo is another player capable of contributing from that side.
West Ham therefore have cover.
Sancho would be more of a luxury addition than a necessity.
And there is another consideration: West Ham are trying to build a team capable of winning promotion, so squad harmony, consistency and value for money will matter enormously.
I would not want Sancho’s name and reputation to become bigger than the actual requirements of the team.
My verdict
If West Ham could agree a sensible wage package and convince Sancho to make the Championship the platform for rebuilding his career, I would understand the temptation.
There is still a potentially outstanding footballer in there.
At 26, Sancho has plenty of time to revive his career, and the Championship could provide him with exactly the kind of environment in which he can play regularly, regain confidence and rediscover the explosiveness that made him so highly rated at Dortmund.
But I would not break West Ham’s wage structure to make it happen.
For me, that is the key.
The £73m price tag and £0 transfer fee make this a headline-grabbing opportunity, but the real cost would be Sancho’s wages and the risk attached to taking on a player who has struggled for consistency in England.
If Nuno believes he can get the best out of him, however, this could be one of those moves that supporters talk about for years.
Because if Sancho somehow rediscovers the Dortmund version of himself, West Ham may have been handed the opportunity to sign one of the Championship’s biggest stars without paying a transfer fee.
The question is whether they are prepared to take the gamble.
