A look at the excellent form of West Ham's Diafra Sakho, compared to Danny Welbeck and Mario Balotelli.
Who says foreign players need time to adapt to the Premier League?
Diafra Sakho, a summer signing from Metz, is proving that notion drastically wrong, scoring five goals in five starts in all competitions for West Ham.
The 24-year-old cost £3.5 million in the summer, a bargain compared to fees paid for more high profile strikers at Arsenal and Liverpool.
In comparison with the starts of Danny Welbeck and Mario Balotelli, Sakho is enjoying a tremendous beginning to his career.
| Team | Mins per Goal | Mins per Shot | Assists | Mins per Key Pass | Passing Accuracy | On Target Shooting Accuracy | Dribbles | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Welbeck | Arsenal | 390 | 30 | 1 | 65 | 83% | 38% | 6 | 390 |
| Diafra Sakho | West Ham | 94.75 | 29.15 | 0 | N/A | 67% | 46% | 4 | 379 |
| Mario Balotelli | Liverpool | N/A | 14.61 | 0 | 84 | 74% | 30% | 2 | 336 |
Sakho's goal ratio is far better than either striker, with Balotelli yet to net in more than five hours of action upon his Premier League return.
This is despite Balotelli registering a shot on goal twice as often as Sakho does. The key difference is the West Ham striker being so clinical, hitting the target almost half the time, at a 16 per cent higher rate than the Liverpool forward.
Sakho's shortcomings are displayed in terms of his creativity, with no chances created at all during his time on the pitch and a lower pass completion rate than either Balotelli or Welbeck.
Yet while he is scoring himself, West Ham fans will not mind him showing such a determined streak, and will hope his run of form continues now the international break is over, when they face relegation battlers Burnley this weekend.
COMMENTS