da bet7： Crystal Palace must make a cut-throat decision on Mamadou Sakho’s future at Selhurst Park amid links abroad.
What’s the word?
da luck： The 30-year-old defender has struggled with injuries so far this season, and has yet to feature since the 2-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage in October, where he made a brief cameo from the bench, and it now appears the end is nigh for the former France international.
Sakho had been heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park in the summer, with L’Equipe reporting that Ligue 1 side Lyon were interested in the centre-back, but that deal failed to materialise.
However, he has been handed another lifeline, if recent reports are to be believed. According to Estadio Deportivo, Real Betis are interested in securing his services as they are targeting players who are out of contract next summer.
The clock is ticking
Having returned to Palace on a permanent basis from Liverpool for £26m in 2017, things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Sakho at Selhurst Park. The veteran defender has had his fair share of injury problems during his time at Palace, having played just 74 games for the club since his move was made permanent.
As a result, he has often found it difficult to establish himself in Roy Hodgson’s side, with Gary Cahill and James Tomkins the preferred defensive pairing last season.
Hodgson has been frustrated by his injury problems in the past, saying: “He feels, in his own words, scared that something’s going to happen if he plays and he’s unwilling to take the risk.
“We thought he was going to be back, but he is still feeling his calf injury. At the moment he is making it clear he doesn’t feel confident enough to play.
“I’m disappointed in that as I thought we would have got him back after the Newcastle second half when he played so well, but it hasn’t turned out that way. We will just have to wait and see but it’s really when he lets us know he’s ready. We’ll have to wait and see, and we are waiting for him to let us know when he’s ready.”
As much as we hate to admit it, it’s fair to say that he has simply been more trouble than what he is worth, which is precisely why the Eagles must get rid of him at all costs by any means necessary in January.
With his contract coming to a close in a matter of months, coupled with the fact that the £8.5m-rated outcast has been left on the bench for the past four Premier League games in a row, Palace chairman Steve Parish must make the ruthless call to cash in on him when the winter transfer market opens in just under a month’s time.
AND in other news, Crystal Palace must swoop for Reading defender Omar Richards in January…