Middlesbrough were one of the interested parties in securing the services of former Crystal Palace winger Bakary Sako who was a free agent for the last two months. However, if latest reports are to be believed, then West Bromwich Albion are set to sign the 30-year-old winger after Darren Moore seemed impressed with him in a trial which he had at the club before the Baggies offered him a new contract.
Having sold Adama Traore in the transfer market earlier to Wolves, one would have expected Tony Pulis to go in hard for a winger in the market, but West Brom has pulled off this deal as the player has agreed to the terms of the contract. Maybe Boro manager Tony Pulis was of the opinion that they are already doing well and didn’t need him as they are in with a good shot to qualify to the Premier League via an automatic promotion spot.
However, West Brom signing Sako could be a big blow for the Teessiders as the Baggies could be considered as one of the direct rivals for the playoff spots and Darren Moore’s side aren’t doing too poorly either as they are just one point behind Middlesbrough at the moment. The signing of Sako will strengthen them further, and Pulis would hope that he doesn’t rue the decision of not going in too hard for the former Wolves winger.
The Malian international is known for his versatility in the final third as he can play almost anywhere across in the attacking positions. His strength and dribbling skills are one of his standout features, and he is often hard to dispossess from the ball.
It is believed that Crystal Palace were ready to offer him a new contract, but the player declined it. Maybe he was aware that his chances in the first team would have been limited therefore one can say that Boro are probably missing out on a Premier League quality player here.
His best years in football came when he was with West Midlands outfit Wolves for three years. In his stint at the Molineux, he managed a tally of 38 goals and 36 assists in 124 appearances. The winger had been named in the Championship team of the season before plus his overall experience would have helped Middlesbrough massively in their promotions push. Yes, he might have lost a bit of his pace from his heyday, but Sako would have still been a handful for the Championship defenders.
The Teessiders might be second on the table at the moment, but they have scored the least amount of goals among any of the top 8 sides so far in the Championship. We all know Pulis likes to build his team on the back of organised and robust defence but signing Sako would have brought them a cutting edge in the attacking third. Now they would have to see him turn out for their direct promotion rivals.
