Jadon Sancho has done something quietly at Aston Villa that no one is talking about
Jadon Sancho’s time at Aston Villa has brought mixed results so far.
Aston Villa booked their spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup last time out, with a 2-1 win over Tottenham in North London.
Exit-linked Emi Buendia opened the scoring for the Villans after 21 minutes, before the in-form Morgan Rogers doubled their advantage before the break.
It was yet another solid attacking display from Unai Emery’s men, and they did it without Sancho for the most part, who is on course to do something that will be of major concern.
Stats show where Jadon Sancho is coming up short at Aston Villa
Sancho has generally impressed with his performances at Aston Villa, with his willingness to put in the hard yards earning him his plaudits every week.
However, the 25-year-old has failed to match the numbers that once saw him hailed as one of the brightest attacking prospects in world football.
Up until now, his worst season, so to speak, was back in the 2023-24 campaign, when he registered five goal contributions in 24 appearances for Man United and Dortmund.
- 2018-19 – 43 appearances, 29 contributions
- 2019-20 – 44 appearances, 39 contributions
- 2020-21 – 38 appearances, 34 contributions
- 2021-22 – 38 appearances, 8 contributions
- 2022-23 – 41 appearances, 10 contributions
- 2023-24 – 24 appearances, 5 contributions
- 2024-25 – 41 appearances, 13 contributions
Under Emery this season, the Englishman has yet to register a single goal or assist, despite featuring 18 times for Aston Villa.
Context does have to be applied to some extent, with Sancho having started just two of his 11 Premier League appearances, with 305 minutes played.
However, for all of the good he has provided this season, his lack of numbers in front of goal will be a major concern for Emery heading into the second half of the campaign.
The underlying numbers show that things will start to click for Sancho
Goals and assists will always be what an attacker is judged on, and on Sancho‘s behalf, his numbers are incredibly poor this season.
But there is some optimism to be had from the numbers deeper in his game.
Via FotMob, the 25-year-old averages 1.77 chances created per 90 in the Premier League, and a remarkable 3.84 per 90 in the Europa League.
Sancho has created 22 chances in total this season, so for him to have not yet registered an assist may showcase where some of Villa’s other worries stand.
Those created chances amount to an xA (expected assists) of 1.58 across all competitions.
His performance levels have certainly warranted more, but given what is at stake for Aston Villa, he simply needs to start providing a lot more in the final third.
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