Jayden Braff is the latest discovery of Borussia Dortmund. The 19-year-old winger signed until 2025. The fact that he came from Manchester City like Jadon Sancho and that there are striking similarities allows for comparisons to be made. But there are fundamental differences with the previous Dortmund.
Sometimes it takes a while to get all the attention in the world. Today’s youth might say that it takes a moment. The associated app is called Snapchat, where you can send short messages to share what you’re doing, thinking, feeling, eating, drinking, etc.
Jayden Braff also wanted the world to know how he felt when he wasn’t part of Manchester City’s FA Cup squad against Port Vale on January 4, 2020. “I have to score 100 times to make his first big man debut, damn it,” Braff wrote. “I have to score 100 goals to start my professional career. Damn it!”
Of course, you cannot condemn the fact that a young football player wants to be part of his professional team. However, it is questionable whether using social media to connect is a good idea. Especially if you have a history.
This Jayden Braaf is clearly a very exciting new signature for BVB. Anyone who sees the Dutchman playing has to look again. You can’t ignore the way he handles the ball, the speed with which he outruns his opponents and often makes his opponents look dumber.
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The 19-year-old can score and set goals. He can do whatever the winger needs to be able to do. But then why would a club like Manchester City, who put their heart and soul into a four-year child prodigy, give up on this? Why free even if it still has a contract until 2023 and you can create a diversion?
And above all, why Manchester City of all places, who are still struggling today with the sale of Jadon Sancho to Dortmund so cheaply in 2017? The answer is as varied as it is simple. Braff has an amazing talent, but he is so aware of it that a realistic assessment and course of action is no longer possible.
Man City were well aware of how good Braff is. And Pep Guardiola repeatedly brought the young man to the professionals. Not only did Braaf manage to impress with his skills, but also left Superstars and coaching staff in awe.
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Not because he kicked well, but because the situation just wasn’t right. He was said to have once complained about being used as a left-back in a training match, it was said. Often times he takes it easy. The slogan was “Oh, I can do that.”
But at Manchester City, even the most crowned pros have to fight for their place every single day. A transfer fee of over €100m isn’t enough to make Jack Grealish a regular player. Too many advantages are not enough to keep Ilkay Gundogan in the starting line-up. It was said that even the players were upset because such a young bird came and acted as if it was too easy.
Perhaps it is thanks to his exceptionally remarkable talent that he was allowed to return anyway. Maybe an improvement? Maybe he got more land? Every time you feel disappointed again.
He said in an interview in 2020 without ever having played at a professional level: “I hope to play somewhere in the first team next season. In Manchester City or somewhere else, we will see. A lot of people are talking to me, I have to keep going. This season is important.” Someone is in a hurry.
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Perhaps at some point Manchester City were sure that Braff, despite his exceptional ability, would never reach the mental level to give him a chance. The possibility of a resurgence of Sancho’s case has been accepted.
There are amazing similarities in the gameplay of the game. There are many common strengths, but there are also differences. Sancho was not a sad child either, but in the future it was believed that he could make the leap to the pros. But since there was no agreement in the contract negotiations, City had to sell the youngster.
Braff lacked sustainability in the situation to maintain him. In that light, for Braff at 19, it’s an opportunity for a fresh start. It wouldn’t be the first either. He has already spent the past six months with Udinese in Italy, but he has not been happy there, mainly due to a serious injury that has left him cold for a long time.
But Man City was also a fresh start. At his former club PS in Eindhoven, Braff was eventually left out of the team for several months because he upset the team’s harmony. On the other hand, the Braff side announced that they are resentful of speaking to other clubs. It is said that Chelsea was particularly interested at the time.
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On the other hand, the expulsion at Ajax before the Eindhoven adventure was of a purely sporting nature. He didn’t think he had the tactical understanding to play in a high-quality team. At least that was a miscalculation, because despite all the background noise, Braff is an outstanding footballer in every respect.
If Dortmund manage to take the youngster and his environment to a mentally acceptable level, they will have a lot of fun with him. As with Sancho, as with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who also came from Manchester City’s youth team in 2020.
It was not for nothing that the BVB was interested not only in Braf, but also Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and, some time ago, Bayern Munich.
At least when he left Manchester it looked very elegant. “I’ve developed on a personal level and as a sport and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the club’s support. Thank you to my teammates, the academy staff and the fans!” And now he also knows that he doesn’t need 100 goals to become a professional. He already has a contract, and he has to take care of the rest himself.