Why Losing Sakho should not be an option

Any Liverpool fans nursing any lingering hope that Mamadou Sakho may yet have a future as a Reds player may just have seen those hopes dashed. With news that the Frenchman has been left out of the squad that travelled to Germany, a sale or, at the very least, another loan move, now seems imminent.

This type of news isn’t, however, always seen as a guarantee of departure and there are a number of reasons why a sale of the 27-year-old should be resisted.

ISSUES

As we know, Klopp achieved his main aim last season by securing fourth place and a slot in the Champions League but it could have been so much better. A return of 78 goals across the season is a strong one, but at the other end of the pitch, Liverpool conceded 44 times – more than anyone else in the top four and 15 more than sixth-placed Manchester United.

Online sports bookmakers Betsson have Liverpool odds for the Premier League title at 10/1 for next season but for that price to offer any value, Klopp clearly has to address defensive issues. Using James Milner as a ‘fill in’ at left-back can’t be allowed to continue but the reintegration of Sakho in the squad could also be a positive move.

The Frenchman is a defender who is noted for his attacking play and has even scored some useful goals in his club and international career, but Sakho’s defensive stats are worth a second look.

NUMBERS

In 2016/17, the last time that Liverpool fans saw the defender in a red shirt, the player won 60% of his defensive duels and had a pass completion ratio of 88%. Some high-profile mistakes have marked his time on Anfield but, according to those stats, Sakho only recorded three defensive errors in 22 games.

There was a solitary man of the match award on offer, too, so why did Klopp take the decision to send his player to Crystal Palace ahead of what looks like a permanent transfer away from the club? Sakho versus Ragnar Klavan isn't even a contest, and while the former PSG man has at times shown a lack of professionalism, if Klopp fails in his quest to add Virgil Van Dyke to his defence then he could do much worse than offering an olive branch to Sakho.

CONSISTENCY

Former Liverpool man Christian Benteke urged Mamadou Sakho to make his switch to Selhurst Park a permanent one. Clearly the Belgian international was impressed with what he saw but despite that, the loan move yielded just eight league appearances.

In March, the defender was nominated as one of the Premier League’s players of the month so, based on these figures, is it a question of being given a chance and finding a manager that believes in him? The departure of Sam Allardyce looks to have killed any chance of Sakho returning to Palace.

Mamadou Sakho was once famously described as a ‘defensive maverick who plays by his own rules’. Sadly it’s a comment that has haunted him since and is clearly synonymous with some of the kamikaze defending that critics will quickly point to. 

However, with his future uncertain at Anfield, are the club really in a position to ditch a man who may finally be maturing and reaching his full potential as an attacking, but effective defender at the back?