Diafra Sakho is a player that has often dominated the Hammers’ headlines, for a variety of different reasons. He went on a magnificent consecutive goal-scoring run in his first season at the club, finding the back of the net in six Premier League matches in a row and deservedly picking up the Player of the Month accolade.
Having finished as the club’s top scorer for that season, his second campaign was filled with controversy. Despite scoring seven goals in 23 games in all competitions, the Senegalese forward was arrested a couple of times and faked an injury after being told that he would not start against Arsenal. Earlier this month, he handed in a transfer request.
West Ham United suffered a shock defeat to NK Domzale on Thursday evening, meaning that they have to score in the second leg in order to advance to the next round. Although the goals conceded were down to defensive errors, the score-line could have been a lot worse had it not been for a couple of stunning saves from Adrian. Going into the first competitive game at the Olympic Stadium, the pressure is on and 54,000 Hammers will be expecting nothing but victory in front of what will be the biggest crowd to ever watch the Irons play.
Sakho should be starting against Domzale for me. At this moment in time, he is employed by our football club to play football and score goals. He may well have his differences with Slaven Bilic but sometimes you have got to do what is best for the team. The bench in the first leg was filled with kids and we are going to need more options, particularly with the absence of Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna, Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini.
Bilic should call Sakho into his office and ask him to give it his all come Thursday night. It would do the 26-year-old no harm, especially as it is his opportunity to even put himself in the shop window. Sakho was key in the final game at the Boleyn Ground, where he opened the scoring against Manchester United in the 3-2 win. He was also a huge loss in last summer’s Europa League qualifiers, where he scored two goals but was then suspended and we subsequently struggled.
Had the club already made some striker signings then the situation would be different, but the squad for the fixture is already set and Sakho is named in that squad. We have got to make the most of our resources and do not want to have another disappointing early European exit and I am certain that Bilic will not want to have any regrets after all the hard work that was put in to qualify for this competition last season in our sound seventh-placed finish.
