Southampton have emerged as a shocking favourite to land Liverpool’s on-loan centre-back Mamadou Sakho, as per reports. With the Saints, unlikely to retain their best player next season as Chelsea come hot on the heels of Virgil van Dijk, Claude Puel looks to have identified Sakho as a potential replacement.
Mamadou Sakho has been nothing short of brilliant for Crystal Palace since joining this winter. The 27-year-old French international has undoubtedly given Palace fans an added belief amidst their relegation battle. The 187cm centre-half is a perfect fit for the Premier League defence in all aspects and Liverpool fans have been quite dismayed as to why manager Jurgen Klopp didn’t give him another chance, especially when their own defence have been in shambles.
Following the disciplinary issue right at the start of the season, which led to a rift between the club, the manager and the player, Sakho had been more of an Under-23 player before Liverpool sanctioned a loan move to Palace. In his 3 league appearances for Palace, Sakho’s impact was instantly felt and the Eagles went on three back to back wins for the first time since September.
However, his loan deal with Palace doesn’t include any buying clause at the end of the season and Sam Allardyce will have to table a bid for him like many others, this summer.
Southampton, on the other hand, were forced to sell their skipper Jose Fonte last winter with controversy arising from his contract extension talks, and things didn’t end well. Unable to bring in any good replacement in the winter, Southampton brought in Martin Caceres on a free transfer recently to fill the place. Van Dijk’s long-term injury had further weakened Southampton’s defence before Maya Yoshida took control of the mast.
And now with the Saints possibly losing Van Dijk this summer too, Sakho could be a brilliant replacement. Sakho has played at the topmost level in his professional career in platforms like UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and was also a part of France’s 2014 FIFA World Cup. While experience wise, Sakho edges past Van Dijk, it cannot be denied that the Dutch enforcer is a more intelligent player with brilliant composure on the ball.
An academy product of Paris Saint-Germain, Mamadou Sakho’s reputation stems from his strong defending as he knows to use his big frame to the fullest. His strong aerial dominance was one of the primary reasons why he was brought into English Premier League in the first place. He also possesses a brilliant passing range, which is an added bonus.
