Why Tottenham Hostpur Should Make A Swoop For Mamadou Sakho
Mamadou Sakho’s future at Liverpool doesn’t seem to be resolving anytime soon. The 27-year old is unwanted at Anfield, after his fallout with manager Jurgen Klopp in the last summer’s pre-season.
The Frenchman was forced to train with the reserves for the first-half of the season and was then loaned out to Crystal Palace in January, where he impressed heavily. Sakho played a huge role for the Eagles, in helping them survive the drop to the Championship. Despite playing just 8 times for Palace, he was nominated for the club Player of the Year award. This goes on to indicate the kind of impact he made in the short period of time.
The Eagles were interested in taking him on a permanent deal in the summer, but were priced out by Liverpool’s demands of £30million in transfer fee. With no other clubs showing serious interest in the Frenchman, the situation isn’t the most ideal for either the player or Liverpool, especially with just under a month left until the transfer window closes.
Back in June, Liverpool’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur were reported with an interest in Sakho (Sun). Should they act upon that initial interest and make a move for the Frenchman before the deadline day?
Most definitely yes.
Tottenham are yet to make a signing in the summer and are the only club in the Premier League to not have added a fresh face to their ranks. While manager Mauricio Pochettino and owner Daniel Levy are quite comfortable with the situation, the same cannot be said about the fans, who are growing frustrated with each passing day.
A new striker and a winger should be the priority for the North Londoners at this time, but bringing in a new central defender wouldn’t be the worst thing for them. Spurs have had the best defensive record in the Premier League for two seasons running now, thanks to the miserly defensive duo of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. And then there is the versatile Eric Dier, who is capable of providing cover for two positions on the pitch.
However, given the number of games that Tottenham will be playing and Pochettino’s preference for a three-man backline, a strong and solid backup is very much needed at the club. While they still have Kevin Wimmer at the club, following his performance against AS Roma in the pre-season, after a poor 2016/17 campaign, it is almost set in stone that he will be sold, leaving a hole in the squad.
Signing Sakho will be a great way to address that problem. The 27-year old is experienced, has shown that he can cut it out at this stage and more importantly, comes in with experience in European levels as well. He has the physicality to dominate opponents and can also build play from the back – something which Pochettino demands very much from his centre-halves.
Tottenham, after having been so very close to the title in the last couple of seasons, will need to go a step further this time around, if they are to hold on to their star players. And they will also need to improve upon their extremely disappointing European campaign last season when they were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League group stages and in the first knockout round in the UEFA Europa League. Having a seasoned professional like Sakho, who has proven himself on these stages will be of great value to the team.
It is unlikely that Levy will shell out £30million for the Frenchman, but given that he is definitely not in the plans of Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool wouldn’t want to keep a player who isn’t going to be playing at all. As a result, they are bound to reduce their asking price, with the deadline day less than a month away.
Tottenham should act on any opportunity they get to snap the 27-year old up, as he has the ability to add to the quality and depth of the squad, and make a difference.