Why West Ham Must Think Twice Befor Offering Diafra Sakho A New Contract
Diafra Sakho has been enjoying an impressive recent run of form for West Ham United, following which, reports surfaced of the club considering offering him a new contract. The Senegalese hitman has scored 3 goals in 8 appearances for West Ham so far this season, with only two of those outings being starts.
The player shares a complicated history with West Ham. From a fitness perspective, Sakho has been extremely unreliable for the last 18 months or so. Granted, his current performances are helping the team, but is it really worth being rewarded a new contract?
Here’s an interesting fact: Sakho has made just two Premier League starts for the Hammers in their last 45 games, due to a serious back injury which hampered his progress since last season. He may have scored the winning goal against Swansea City in their previous match, but it almost seems like the club management are ready to invest a lot of faith, not to mention money, on a player who has been unavailable for months at a stretch due to fitness problems.
Moreover, the player was also edging towards a possible exit from the club over the summer. Several West Ham fans were quite pleased with that bit of news, and while their thoughts may have changed after his recent run of form, the fact still remains that it is not enough – Sakho has a long way to go before establishing himself as a mainstay for the club.
If at all West Ham sell Sakho in January, they will no longer have to keep paying wages to a player who hardly contributes to the team, owing to constant injury concerns. The club could do well to instead focus on recruiting a robust, young forward to replace the 27-year-old.
Although several fans have often called him out for his temperamental issues, one cannot deny that his fitness forms most of the problem. In fact, if it weren’t for his injuries, he would have received a better contract a long time ago – and probably would have been less temperamental, as a result.
Make no mistake: a fit and healthy Diafra Sakho is a truly strong footballer. He’s had his issues in the past, but as a footballer, he is undoubtedly skilled and gifted. But unfortunately, Sakho is not always fit and healthy. Thus, taking a risk on such an unpredictable player seems rather wasteful for West Ham at this point.
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