It is probably fair to say that Mamadou Sakho’s Liverpool exit was a long time in the making after falling out of favour with Jurgen Klopp upon the German’s arrival at Anfield in the summer of 2015.
The 27-year-old was outcast from the Liverpool squad – let alone the starting eleven – and eventually enjoyed a short loan spell at relegation battlers Crystal Palace, rejuvenating his career.
After what seemed like an eternity of negotiations this summer, Liverpool finally lowered their initial £30 million valuation of the French defender and allowed Palace to secure a deadline day deal.
So the big question now is, does Sakho represent a good Draft Fantasy pick?
On the face of it, no matter how experienced at the highest-level Sakho is, and no matter how stubborn and disciplined he is on the pitch, the underlying fact is that he plays for Crystal Palace.
Since Frank de Boer took over the helm at Selhurst Park it’s been all doom and gloom, with the Eagles failing to win – and failing to find the net – in their opening three games, conceding six goals.
Yet it is way too early to write Sakho off for your draft fantasy team, with the situation that Palace currently find themselves in already giving supporters a sense of déjà vu from when he arrived in London last year.
On that occasion Palace were battling relegation, desperately needing to get out of a slump, and Sakho’s arrival was the catalyst for an impressive revival that saw them retain their top-flight status.
Right at the heart of this revival was the Frenchman, keeping three consecutive clean sheets in his opening three games at the club before he led Palace to the unlikeliest victories over eventual champions Chelsea and Arsenal in the space of ten days, securing his reputation as a new cult hero.
Despite only managing eight appearances before injury cut short his loan spell Sakho made an average of eight defensive actions per game – more than any other Palace defender from last year.
On top of that he made 49 clearances, 13 interceptions and three blocks across just 686 minutes of Premier League action, highlighting once again how much his presence galvanised Palace’s defence.
It is no coincidence that Palace’s form – and defensive stability – picked up when he arrived, and expect something similar to happen now over the upcoming months to kick-start Palace’s season.
He won’t keep as many clean sheets as the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and the rest of the top-six but, as Huddersfield have shown so far, defensive solidity can happen anywhere as long as a side is compact and tight, and Sakho could be a shrewd addition to a draft fantasy side.
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