Mamadou Sakho to Crystal Palace: Latest Loan Details, Comments and Reaction
February 1, 2017Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho completed a loan move to Crystal Palace on deadline day, giving the France international the chance to prove to the Reds he still has a future at Anfield.
Palace formally announced the deal in the early hours of Wednesday morning:
Sky Sports News HQ's Kaveh Solhekol reported the total cost will be £3.6 million for Palace. They're paying a £2 million loan fee as well as £1.6 million for Sakho's wages for the remainder of the season.
As reported by Dominic King of MailOnline, Liverpool told Sakho to find a new club after their pre-season tour, from which he was sent home early because of disciplinary issues. The former Paris Saint-Germain man turned down summer deals with Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion, who were interested in a permanent switch.
He has been forced to train with Liverpool's academy squads and play most of his minutes with the under-23 side since.
Per King's report, manager Jurgen Klopp had no plans for the 26-year-old this season, but the German believes Sakho still has a future with the club. He'll have to prove he can be a professional on loan, something This Is Anfield finds odd:
The France international has flashed his talent on plenty of occasions, but he has also made headlines for the wrong reasons.
Per MailOnline's Ben Nagle, he bounced back after a public incident in which he left the stadium before a derby match against Everton in 2014, so there are reasons to believe he can overcome this latest setback as well.
With Joe Gomez working his way back to health and the summer arrivals of Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan, competition for the centre-back spots is severe at Liverpool, and Sakho won't have it easy battling his way back.
But with Crystal Palace, he has the chance to shine again. At the very least, some strong performances could lead to a permanent move to another top club.