Sunderland have reportedly made a bid for the West Ham United striker.
Diafra Sakho celebrates after scoring for West Ham
Sunderland have made a move to sign West Ham striker Diafra Sakho, according to Sky Sports.
Sam Allardyce has spoken openly about his desire to add another forward to his squad to release the pressure on Jermain Defoe, who they relied upon heavily to avoid relegation this past season.
West Ham’s Diafra Sakho and manager Sam Allardyce with the Barclays Player of the Month and Manager of the Month awards for October
That has led them to identifying Sakho as a potential target, with Sky Sports reporting that they have made an £11 million bid for his services.
Should he arrive at the Stadium of Light, he would challenge Fabio Borini for his place in the Black Cats’ starting lineup.
But would he represent an improvement on the Italian? We decided to compare their stats to find out.
Fabio Borini celebrates after scoring for Sunderland
| Goals | Total Scoring Att per Game | Ontarget Scoring Att per Game | Shot Off Target per Game | Pen Area Entries per Game | Won Contest per Game | Touches per Game | Unsuccessful Touches per Game | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabio Borini | 5 | 1.85 | 0.69 | 0.85 | 1.92 | 0.92 | 37.58 | 1.81 | 26 |
| Diafra Sakho | 5 | 2.29 | 0.86 | 0.95 | 1.71 | 0.86 | 32.71 | 2.86 | 21 |
And as it transpires, it was Borini who had the better season as he came out on top in five of the eight areas we looked at.
In terms of goals the two players were level, as they both managed five goals a piece for their teams.
Elsewhere, though, Borini came out on top as, on a per game basis, he managed more penalty area entries, more touches, fewer unsuccessful touches and won more contests than his potential rival.
It wasn’t all bad for Sakho though, as he did register more shots per game and got more on target per game also.
Nonetheless, an interesting comparison and perhaps one that should make Allardyce think twice about a move for his former star.
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce
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