Crystal Palace have made the worst possible start to their Premier League campaign, losing all three games, failing to score even a single goal, as they go into the international break, without a point on board. Frank de Boer, the current manager at the club, will have to improve on the squad to get them back to winning ways but has little time to do so.
The deadline day is fast approaching and the Eagles will have to work really hard to lure their top transfer targets to the club before the window is shut. One such player, they are desperate to add to their lineup is Liverpool wantaway Mamadou Sakho.
The French international was the first choice centre back for Klopp is his very first season at the club but a series of incidents saw him lose out on a place in two cup finals in 2016, also losing his place in the Liverpool squad in the next season. He has his disciplinary issues but the loan stint with the Eagles in the second half of the previous season showed that he is still one of the best centre backs in the league.
So it does not come as a surprise that De Boer wants him to help his squad this season as well but Palace have a few issues to worry about. For starters, Liverpool are holding out for a fee of £30m, which Palace are not happy to meet but to add it, they are facing stiff competition from Tony Pulis’ West Brom, who are ready to make a bid for the player.
So should Palace do all it takes to land him?
At just 27, the former PSG man is an established international, who had a forgettable year and a half since the end of the 2015-16 season. Strong in the air and capable of dominating his box, Sakho is an excellent reader of the game and is adept at playing as the leader in the backline.
He is vocal and demanding of his backline and is a player who can frustrate the best of strikers in Europe. He is currently in his prime as a footballer and is easily worth the price tag Liverpool have slapped on him this summer.
Scott Dann and James Tomkins are expected to be the first choice centre backs this season for Palace while Fosu-Mensah on loan from United has acted as the third defender in a back-3 system used by De Boer. Sakho is an upgrade on all those names and will walk into the first team and with precious experience of playing with the squad, he should take no time to settle in and have an immediate impact on the squad.
So should De Boer sign him up?
