Diafra Sakho has reiterated his intentions to leave West Ham and Newcastle should look to profit.
Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle have made an excellent start to life in the Premier League, but a lack of fire power is sure to haunt them later on in the season.
Despite being given little to spend, Benitez has worked wonders by making the Toon solid at the back and bringing the best out of the likes of Jamaal Lascelles, Mikel Merino and Rob Elliot.
However, the Toon are still lacking a proven Premier League goalscorer, with Joselu leading the line. Aleksander Mitrovic and Dwight Gayle’s future at St. James’ Park looks to be wearing thin.
Out wide, Benitez has little room to manoeuvre, which has shown in his team selection in the Premier League – Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie have started eight of the Toon’s nine league games despite failing to show any real kind of goal threat.
A proven Premier League goalscorer that can also play out wide is a must in January, and that should turn Benitez’s attention towards West Ham’s wantaway striker Diafra Sakho.
“I still want to leave. I always say it. I don’t hide it,” Sakho said in an interview with French journalist Claude Atcheba, which was published on YouTube.
“Whether the fans are happy or not, I want to change environment. I want to see something else in regard to everything happened to me.”
Sakho, 27, has less than a year remaining on his current contract at the London Stadium and could be allowed to leave the Hammers in January for cut-price fee, with the east Londoners likely to want to avoid losing him for a free in the summer.
Scoring 17 Premier League goals in 55 appearances, Sakho has more than a decent pedigree in front of goal in England’s top flight with many of those outings coming from out wide.
Adding his speed, eye for goal and all-round attacking intelligence to the Newcastle attack would see the Toon steer clear from what is likely to be a relegation scrap come the end of the season.
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