Reports are suggesting that Stoke City are hoping to take the Liverpool defender on loan, with the Reds aiming to get his fitness up to scratch, but nothing is being mentioned about the length of any loan deal.
Mamadou Sakho scores the second goal for Liverpool
Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho could be heading on loan to Stoke City before the transfer window shuts next week, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.
Sakho hasn’t kicked a ball in anger for the Reds since April as the Frenchman has gone through a difficult period during his career on Merseyside. The Frenchman was banned by UEFA for failing a drugs test before later being exonerated – though he missed the Europa League final and Euro 2016 in his home country in the meantime – and was sent home from the Reds’ tour of the United States by manager Jurgen Klopp.
Mamadou Sakho celebrates with manager Juergen Klopp after scoring the second goal for Liverpool
In the meantime he has been working on his recover from Achilles injury. Sakho has fallen down the pecking order but there seems to be something of an acknowledgement from inside the club that at the very least Sakho needs some game time.
Some would suggest that Liverpool’s defensive options are not that well stocked, unless Joe Gomez’s recovery from injury has gone well enough for him to be considered fourth choice at centre-back. All of Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan have featured so far this season. The decision to loan Sakho out makes things all the more curious.
But nothing has been said about the length of any loan deal. If the objective from Liverpool’s point of view is for Sakho to get some game time under his belt at another club, then it would be a little silly for them to allow him to be loaned out for the duration of the season. If that kind of deal materialised, it’s hard to think that his career at the club isn’t over.
Liverpool’s Mamadou Sakho celebrates with Jordon Ibe at the end of the match
He is a favourite among a lot of the fanbase, he seems to have established a connection with fans for his attitude towards them, and for his work locally outside of the footballing environment. Critics of the player seem to pick out his style and decision making. ‘Bambi on ice’ can often be a term heard levelled at the Frenchman.
Sakho is certainly a player that can look a little rusty on his first couple of games of a run in the side, and seems to get better with more minutes he has on the field, though frustratingly injuries can strike and he has to start all over again when he’s fit.
The idea as it is being presented by Liverpool is a good one for the club, but it feels like this is a huge moment in the career of Mamadou Sakho, and only time will tell whether he really does have a future at the club.
Mamadou Sakho
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
