Liverpool seemed to have found the perfect replacement for Jamie Carragher when they brought in Mamadou Sakho from Paris St Germain in 2013. The highly sought-after defender cost Liverpool £18 million, and the player was able to demonstrate his talent and worth even after just a few games into his Liverpool career. Aged just 23 at that time, Sakho seemed to have at least a decade to offer to Liverpool, but many have been left surprised with the abruptness with which his career at Anfield is coming to an end.
Sakho is widely expected to leave Liverpool at least on a loan deal after falling out with manager Jurgen Klopp. The Frenchman has had a series of altercations, which seemed of no major harm back then, with the manager in the last few months. Klopp decided to take stringent action even as early as in pre-season and Sakho has not been back since. The transfer window is over, but the French defender is still living on the edge right at this very moment, as the manager has clearly said that he won’t be getting a regular first team action.
The fallout between Klopp and Sakho, who was cleared of drug use towards the end of the 2015-16 season, began during the pre-season. The French defender was playfully criticised by the manager for missing the teams’ departure to San Francisco. Klopp may have showed a smiling face to Sakho but it did not take long for him to get annoyed by the immature actions of the Frenchman. Just a look at the intensity shown by Klopp during games would have been enough to scare off any immaturity within the player, but it was not to be.
Sakho’s decline at Liverpool seemed to start towards the end of last season. The player made only five Premier League appearances since March and this was down to a combination of very poor form and being accused of doping.
Once likened to Carragher, Sakho has never come close to matching the achievements of the Liverpool legend. In a career that lasted more than a decade at Anfield, Carragher made more than 700 appearances for the club and won nine major honours. Mamadou Sakho departure may be temporary on paper, but he has managed 79 appearances and no major honours in his three seasons at the club.
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