West Ham United: Sakho Out, Crystal Palace In

West Ham United kick off the final days of the January transfer window by moving out Diafra Sakho on a permanent deal to Rennes of the French League 1. Sakho was a polarizing figure but has wanted away from the club in the last two years after he fell out with previous manager Slaven Bilic. With David Moyes’ appointment to replace Bilic, Sakho had his slate wiped clean, however, he has been done with performing for West Ham since the final season at the Boleyn Ground. This move comes on the eve of West Ham welcoming Crystal Palace into the London Stadium, a fellow team looking to keep away from the bottom of the Premier League table.

Sakho’s departure shows his desire to leave West Ham, and the willingness of the club to cash in on him. West Ham has never been thinner on attacking options, having just Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, and youth player Toni Martinez. In the summer transfer window, Sakho had orchestrated a move to France by conducting his own medical at the team facilities and missing out on preseason action. After the deal was never agreed to, his poor attitude, like his form, continued to find new lows. Sakho’s departure is hopefully the signaling of a move to get more players into West Ham that want to be here, and have a respect for the league and team.

The deal is worth between £8-9 million, which is up to £2 million less than what Rennes had offered for him at the beginning of the window. Sakho turned down the move initially, now costing his club even more. The last month saw Sakho take on a silent protest to the team. He had declared himself unfit to play due to a groin injury. Although team doctors could not find anything physically wrong with him, he continued to sit out. Sakho also passed his medical at Rennes.

West Ham needs to cut out the poisonous players, like Sakho, who can cause unrest and dissension in the locker room. Sakho viewed himself as more important than the team he played on, which for a player plucked from obscurity and given a chance to play in one of the most prestigious leagues, is an unacceptable attitude. West Ham will be better off without him in the team.

Losing another player, although he was never available to team selection, West Ham now welcomes a Crystal Palace team who are trending up on their season. After a historically bad beginning to the year, Crystal Palace -under new manager Roy Hodgson- has rocketed out of relegation and into a midtable position. West Ham has drawn Palace this season, in a match they led by two goals at one point. Andre Ayew’s wonder strike before the end of the first half seemed to be the final nail in the Eagles’ coffin, but a poor penalty by Angelo Ogbonna saw them claw back into the match. In heartbreaking fashion, Wilfred Zaha of Palace netted an extra time equalizer that stole crucial points from West Ham.

Zaha will again pose a significant threat to West Ham, as his blistering pace and dribbling ability will put likely starter Aaron Cresswell, left back, at odds all game. Cress has had a great season defensively and will look to continue that defensive storm against Zaha. Bakary Sako, left wing for Palace, has also been on form recently and will challenge Pablo Zabaleta defensively with his pace and creativity.

West Ham needs to weather the storm against likely wing attacks from Palace, and keep their defensive shape. With attacking options limited due to the Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini injuries, new loanee Joao Mario will likely get the start in Lanzini’s spot, with injured Michail Antonio rumored to be available to take Arnautovic’s place. West Ham is without breakout player Arthur Masuaku for six games, beginning with Palace, as he was suspended for six games for spitting at an opposing player. The left wingback position could be played by Cresswell, a natural left back, however, he lacks the dribbling and pace of Masuaku.

A bad game could be destructive for the season for West Ham supporters who are already at odds with the operating board of the club after FA Cup loss to Wigan. With the transfer window coming to an abrupt close and only one loan player in, West Ham needs reinforcements and needs them fast. Crystal Palace at home should be telling for the future of West Ham’s season.

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