Klopp Gives His Insights About Sakho
By Paul Drake
Jurgen Klopp has recently opened up about Mamadou Sakho and his future at Crystal Palace or at Liverpool.
Liverpool fans are well aware of the Klopp/Sakho Saga. Mamdou Sakho is a player that comes with a lot of baggage and drama. That was true about his time with the Reds and Klopp was not a fan of it, eventually leading Sakho to lose favor with the boss.
Klopp’s system thrives upon team chemistry, togetherness, and integrity. These are things that Sakho did not embody while at Liverpool. Thus, leading Liverpool to loan him for a £2m fee to Crystal Palace, even though they really wanted to sell him for £20m.
Sakho and Liverpool: The Stats Don’t Lie
With Liverpool’s defensive whoa’s, many fans are hoping for Sakho to return to Anfield this summer. I am not one of those fans, but would Sakho returning be a wise or unwise move for the Reds? Let’s take a look at the statistics.
Last season with Liverpool, Sakho made 22 appearances, scoring 1 goal, creating 4 chances, winning 60% of his duels, and passing accurately 88% of the time. This gives him a 484 Squawka Performance Score.
When compared to other defenders last season who made the same or more appearances things become a little more grim. Sakho was the 28th best defender in the Premier League last season. Alberto Moreno was the only Liverpool who finished with a better Performance Score, posting a respectable 612 Performance Score.
In comparison to this point last season, Sakho had a 385 Performance Score which will currently land him as Liverpool’s worst starting defender this season behind Lovren, Matip, Milner, and Clyne. So to all those cheering for Sakho’s return to Anfield, they may want to stop and think; he may not be that much of an upgrade at all.
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Klopp’s Words and Insights
SFR Sport asked Klopp about the Mamadou Sakho situation and the potential return to Liverpool, as reported by This Is Anfield.
"There is nothing we have to decide in this moment, so that is it. He made his first appearance after a really long time, and so all we have to do is to be focused on the season and this squad here I will not talk to you about potential transfers we make, so it makes no sense to talk about players we gave on loan, we shall. see."
Klopp is fairly doesn’t share much when it comes to transfers. Though, Liverpool are prepared to spend big this summer to complete the rebuild and secure players that fit Klopp’s system and style. Sakho may or may not be a part of those plans for the Reds.
In conclusion, there is still a lot of football yet to be played this season, but I don’t think Liverpool fans should get their hopes up about Sakho returning to Anfield. This is probably wise in the long-run because there are a lot better defenders out there than Mamadou Sakho. Plus, they probably come with less drama and poor attitude. Lastly, it seems that Sam Allardyce likes Sakho and treats him differently than Klopp ever did.
All statistical information from Squawka.com