Was Sancho a bad signing?

Pexbo

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Not to mention that Sancho is earning £350k a week compared with Diaz who's earning £60k, therefore over 5 years it's closer to £55m vs £160m

Hopefully this is one of the reasons for Judge leaving. Paying one of the highest salaries in the world to a 21 year old that has proven very little is poor.
There’s no way in hell Sancho is on 350k and no way in hell Diaz is on 60k. I hope it’s just early and I’m missing the joke.
 

The Siege

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Any transfer that is over 50 mil has a bad money vs impact ratio IMO. The cognitive dissonance is real, so I'm not going to go into money.

From a footballing aspect, he is an excellent signing. In a team that knows what it's doing, Sancho can play both wings, and play a 10 suited to specific tactics as well. He's also one of the few players in our squad who can actually get past a player.
 

jackal&hyde

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Yes. We should have signed Gordon, passed on Varane and brought back Smalling and kept Lukaku instead of bringing Ronaldo.

White text.
 

amolbhatia50k

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He's already a good player. In an excellently managed team he will prove to be a top class one.
 

finneh

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There’s no way in hell Sancho is on 350k and no way in hell Diaz is on 60k. I hope it’s just early and I’m missing the joke.
These are the figures quoted in most newspapers. I don't see how either is unreasonable given Diaz was reportedly earning under £15k a week at Porto whereas Sancho was reportedly earning (or had a contract offer on the table of) over £180k at Dortmund.

Given the fact that Rashford and Martial earn more than Salah and Mane I don't see either figures as particularly surprising.
 

gajender

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These are the figures quoted in most newspapers. I don't see how either is unreasonable given Diaz was reportedly earning under £15k a week at Porto whereas Sancho was reportedly earning (or had a contract offer on the table of) over £180k at Dortmund.

Given the fact that Rashford and Martial earn more than Salah and Mane I don't see either figures as particularly surprising.
Just please stop with this nonsense apparently Liverpool's best and high profile players are paid significantly lower than United's and all their other players are just paid peanuts and yet their official published Accounts show that their wage bill higher than United I just wonder why what to believe unverified media narrative or the actual Published reports .
 

Red Rash

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I like Sancho and think he has shown promise. It hasn't been a slam dunk signing so far but some of his performances have been good however he is played in a very poor team, low on confidence and with no real style of play.

I don't think it's really fair to judge him till next season under ETH when we should start to implement a style of play that will suit him and bring in new players. Definitely had a lot of talent though
 

VanDeBank

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Just please stop with this nonsense apparently Liverpool's best and high profile players are paid significantly lower than United's and all their other players are just paid peanuts and yet their official published Accounts show that their wage bill higher than United I just wonder why what to believe unverified media narrative or the actual Published reports .
Would appreciate a link :)
 

AlexUTD

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Sancho has been playing with a team this season that has not played to his strenghts like direct pass and move football. Instead this team, especially the midfield behind him passes the ball sideways instead of forward due to lack of creativity.

Im sure we will see another version of Sancho next season if we can improve on the way we play football wich i have high hopes for under Ten Hag.
 

Hughes35

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So far he's been slightly below average I'd say...... but it's been a shocking season and we are a very bad team.

You can clearly tell he is a talented footballer. I think in the right team he can still be a great player for us. Just hope ETH can get the best out of him (I think he might).
 

Smores

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He was a bad signing in the context that he probably didn't fit in our system at the time at all. Another case of signing a good player and hoping it'll just work.

I think he'll prosper under ETH though so we'll just have to wait and see. Not every great signing has a great first season.
 

finneh

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Just please stop with this nonsense apparently Liverpool's best and high profile players are paid significantly lower than United's and all their other players are just paid peanuts and yet their official published Accounts show that their wage bill higher than United I just wonder why what to believe unverified media narrative or the actual Published reports .
Firstly I don't believe that anyone is saying that Liverpool's players are paid peanuts, they're paid a competitive salary commensurate of their abilities and reputation when they signed their contracts. They've benefited from Mane and Salah signing deals 4 years ago when salaries were much lower and the player's themselves were not as established. No doubt both of these players will be looking for close to 8 figure annual salary increases within the next 12 months. Secondly it's somewhat obvious that Liverpool's best players are paid less as their strategy has been to sign players prior to them hitting their peak. It's not difficult to see that the likes of Salah, Mane, Diaz, Fabinho, Jota etc were signed at totally different stages of their career compared with Ronaldo, Pogba, Cavani, Sancho, Varane, De Gea etc. Making players the best in the world is far more cost effective than buying the best in the world.

If you look at the latest set of accounts United's salary bill is comparable at £323m compared with Liverpool £314m. However this was at a stage where De Gea was reportedly our only player earning £300k+. According to our accounts however the signings of Sancho, Ronaldo and Varane will have "around 20%" impact (c. £65m) on the 21/22 accounts meaning that we'll be looking at a salary bill of just shy of £390m. Unless Liverpool end up being on the hook for huge bonuses for winning the Champions League / Premier League / FA Cup the salary disparity will be very large.

Separate to this though we're comparing the salaries of a squad regularly winning trophiess and capable of winning the quadruple this year with a squad that haven't won any trophies in a few years and who are fighting to finish in the Europa places. All things being equal it's still Apples and Oranges.
 
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rimaldo

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There’s no way in hell Sancho is on 350k and no way in hell Diaz is on 60k. I hope it’s just early and I’m missing the joke.
yeah it’s utter bollocks. as always people just believe the first thing they read. actually diaz was so keen to play for liverpool and under klopp that he is paying liverpool 60k per week for the privilege, until his full transfer fee is paid off.
 

gajender

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Firstly I don't believe that anyone is saying that Liverpool's players are paid peanuts, they're paid a competitive salary commensurate of their abilities and reputation when they signed their contracts. They've benefited from Mane and Salah signing deals 4 years ago when salaries were much lower and the player's themselves were not as established. No doubt both of these players will be looking for close to 8 figure annual salary increases within the next 12 months. Secondly it's somewhat obvious that Liverpool's best players are paid less as their strategy has been to sign players prior to them hitting their peak. It's not difficult to see that the likes of Salah, Mane, Diaz, Fabinho, Jota etc were signed at totally different stages of their career compared with Ronaldo, Pogba, Cavani, Sancho, Varane, De Gea etc. Making players the best in the world is far mor cost effective than buying the best in the world.

If you look at the latest set of accounts United's salary bill is comparable at £323m compared with Liverpool £314m. However this was at a stage where De Gea was reportedly our only player earning £300k+. According to our accounts however the signings of Sancho, Ronaldo and Varane will have "around 20%" impact (c. £65m) on the 21/22 accounts meaning that we'll be looking at a salary bill of just shy of £390m. Unless Liverpool end up being on the hook for huge bonuses for winning the Champions League / Premier League / FA Cup the salary disparity will be very large.

Seperate to this though we're comparing the salaries of a squad regularly winning trophiess and capable of winning the quadruple this year with a squad that haven't won any trophies in a few years and who are fighting to finish in the Europa places. All things being equal it's still Apples and Oranges.
Well that's fair enough I missed the latest Accounts and I agree on your points broadly that most United players haven't been justifying their wages while Liverpool one's are that's what matters .
 

red woppit

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Coming to a new league almost always requires a player to get used to new things, physicallity, speed of play etc, but unfortunately for Sancho, by the time he had got used to EPL football, the team was starting to perform badly.
One of United's biggest problems being the speed at which the whole team would move forward, I don't know how many times during a game we would get a quick break, get the ball to a forward player, then play the ball backwards to a defender. Much of the problem, I believe, was the lack of support that the full backs and midfield gave, moving into attacking positions, more often than not staying deep to receive the ball backwards from the forward player. Sancho, and other wider players, would need players moving beyond them, to keep the ball going towards the opposition goal.
I believe that next season Sancho will thrive, as I hope Rashford, Garnacho and others will do with a new, more attacking system, but probably, and most importantly, we require a strong defence, and at least one midfield player who understands defensive duties.
 

laughtersassassin

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Almost Everyone we sign seems to be a bad signing

By law of averages the issue must be something else you would hope.

Level of effort by everyone in Training?
 

Flexdegea

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Sancho one of the few players I've been happy with. Took a age to get going, but around Chelsea Match has played really well.

Some of his skillz on the wing been top notch. Also factor in been playing with a disfunctional team, I've no issues with him at all, I'm expecting him to kick on massively next season.
 

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I would say it's a bad signing in the sense that we spent two years chasing a player in a position which was arguably a lower priority than sorting central midfield, for example.

I would also say it was a bad signing because we're paying a 21 year old with (as far as I am aware) zero major trophies a salary of £350K per week.

I would say that Sancho is a talented player and may yet prove to be a valuable addition, but I still think the whole saga and contract offer could have been managed far better
 

Lentwood

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Almost Everyone we sign seems to be a bad signing

By law of averages the issue must be something else you would hope.

Level of effort by everyone in Training?
I don't think so, I think we just target the wrong profile of player. Ralf keeps banging on about physicality and he is spot on. Why are the likes of Diaz, Jota and Mane successful at Liverpool? It's not because they are more talented with the ball at their feet than the likes of Martial, Sancho and Pogba, it's because they play with an intensity and aggression that those players do not.

A player with 8.5/10 technical ability but 10/10 aggression/physicality is far more useful than a player with perfect technical ability but only moderate physicality/aggression.
 

Bebestation

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Fans signing cravings - Sancho, Greizmann

Who else?
 

TwoSheds

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The logic that player x is a bad signing because another club signed a player who plays the same position and is having a better season (as part of an infinitely more functional team) is obviously terrible.

Stick Sancho in that Liverpool team and this thread would never have seen the light of day.
See I'm not sure about that at all. Clearly he would do much better for Liverpool or City than for us but I don't think he's got the energy, physicality and individual leadership/brilliance that is what makes Liverpool's system work so well. Their wingers are much more "United style" than Sancho IMO, who is a system player, as you'd expect from a lad whose education has been at City and Dortmund.

What I will say though is he's got that Kennington Park street baller side to his game that I'd like to see more of because I think that is the most "United" aspect of his play and is really the thing that makes him stand out. When he's megging people and pulling out those fast feet he really can be a joy to watch. Just want to see more initiative and aggression to his game at the moment.
 

Bondi77

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This thread is not about Pogba, Rashford, Lingard, Martial or us not signing a DM

We have spent 80m on a winger that's best/most comfortable on the left, when we had no shortage of options there:
  • Rashford
  • Pogba
  • Bruno
  • Martial
  • Lingard
  • And a bunch rascals running around in the academy (Elanga, Garnacho, Shoretire)
Nearly every game I watch, I see a really good player on the LW. It's one of the most stacked positions in modern football.
Right now I'm watching Zinckernagel at Forest. looks talented. Off the top of my head, the last couple of matches I've watched, I've seen:
  • Gordon, - Everton
  • Danjuma - Villareal
  • Diaz - Liverpool
  • Sinisterra - Feyenoord
  • Cody Gakpo - PSV
  • Nkunku - RB Leipzig
All very attainable players.

For such a massive fee shouldn't you always sign a finished product, especially in a position that holds no shortage of talent?

Was Sancho a bad signing? Did we overspend on a talented player? Should you ever spent 80 million on a right footed winger that isn't Ballon D'or level?
Dan James was better for us in his first season and he cost 15mil......does that answer the question.
 

lysglimt

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Quality players are never bad signings - if they are used correctly
 

Tavern in the town

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Some players just don’t have it. You see it when he runs at his full back, it’s like he’s waiting for something to happen rather than making it happen himself. You can argue he needs teammates to combine with which he obviously does, but having 0 individualism isn’t really the sign of a top footballer. Hazard was looking like the best player in the league with some truly shocking supporting casts at Chelsea. File with Werner in footballers given a career by high Bundesliga lines.
 

iHicksy

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Nope. Sancho is great. The only people who think he's been poor are people who are expecting the next Ronaldo. He has all the baseline skills we want from a player and he's still insanely young. His close control, interlinking, passing and game intelligence are far and away the traits we should be looking for in players. He's going to be perfect for us if we plan on playing actual football going forwards which is what ETH will bring.
 

Bobski

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He has had a poor season. Most disappointing for me was him coming into the season clearly not in the right shape and prepared correctly. Big fee, huge wages and it needed 3 months before he was properly match fit? Significant red flag there, and if Utd really want a change of mentality that type of issue can not be tolerated.

He has a lot to prove, not just at Utd, where fans can hand wave his mediocre displays by pointing at coaching but also at international level where he has failed to establish himself.
 

Frank White

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I find it strange that there is so much support for Sancho 3 goals and 3 assists in the PL in 1891 mins, xG90 0.20 xA90 0.19, 1 goal + 0 assists in 394 CL mins, doesn't work particularly hard, does retain possession well.

And endless criticism of Elanga 2 goals + 2 assists in 1080 mins in the PL, xG90 0.24 xA90 0.16, 1 goal + 0 assists in 172 CL mins, does work hard for the team, is relatively poor at retaining possession and falls over a lot.

As things stand, Sancho was a poor signing. That may change.

Bringing in Sancho, having signed Amad and Pellistri was just crazy. How many short, lightweight wide players can we accommodate in our team ?

United have clearly bought far too many players that need the team built around them. Sancho looks like he belongs in this category.
My thinking exactly. Sancho right now has been hugely disappointing from his fitness all the way to his general performances. Now i get people saying anyone would look shite in this team but the worrying thing for me is he looks like he fits in with the shite. Personally would have hoped for a little more than a 4/5 game period where he showed something but alas.

New manager, new season coming so he should be one of the few to get the benefit of the doubt but imo to say right now he's been a poor signing isn't a reach.
 

stepic

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These are the figures quoted in most newspapers. I don't see how either is unreasonable given Diaz was reportedly earning under £15k a week at Porto whereas Sancho was reportedly earning (or had a contract offer on the table of) over £180k at Dortmund.

Given the fact that Rashford and Martial earn more than Salah and Mane I don't see either figures as particularly surprising.
a quick skim of google results after typing in sancho salary gives us:

£350k per week
£175k per week
£250k per week
€350k per week

in short, no one has a fecking clue so it's pretty dumb to assume anything based off newspaper reports.

Diaz will be on less than Sancho almost certainly, just not to the extent you're making out.
 

Drz

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I was only against this signing because of the price, if anything I'm kind of impressed with Sancho's technique, notably his first touch.
It was always somewhat likely he would need some time to adapt because of the tempo of the premier league. I mean historically the league has always been tough but with more and more teams adopting some form of high press it is difficult to adapt to if you have never experienced it.
But now that what has been paid is paid, we have to prioritise the many other deficiencies and hope he will improve and look better if he is played in a better system with a better midfield.
 
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RedRonaldo

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a quick skim of google results after typing in sancho salary gives us:

£350k per week
£175k per week
£250k per week
€350k per week

in short, no one has a fecking clue so it's pretty dumb to assume anything based off newspaper reports.

Diaz will be on less than Sancho almost certainly, just not to the extent you're making out.
I just googled it, most sources said it’s 350k per week, or 91m for 5 years, or initial 250k per week excluding bonus (50k).

So my guess is 250k+50k per week in pounds, or 350k per week in USD. As it happens a lot with the confusion regarding players wages report on pounds vs USD conversion.

Theres only one source quoting 190k per week, but it actually refers to his wage in Dortmund.

It does makes alot of sense too, as Martial cost us £250k, Rashford cost £200k, wouldn’t sound far off if we really offer Sancho £250k plus 50k bonus (which is about $350k USD)
 
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sillwuka

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Well, it hasn't been a great signing so far.

I'd suspect he is one of the first on ETH's team sheet and hope he kicks on next season.
 

Nicolarra90

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The thing is that if he doesn't work next season we should sell him fast for 40-50mill before we end with another martial or rashford case.