Liverpool: Klopp sold Mamadou Sakho at the perfect time
The Reds seemingly struck gold with their sale of the Frenchman…
A key feature of Liverpool’s recruitment of recent years has been their ability to recoup sizeable fees when moving players on, having repeatedly hit the jackpot when it comes to selling first-team assets.
Be it the £142m brought in for Philippe Coutinho back in 2018, or more recently the £35m departure of Sadio Mane – who had just a year to run on his existing deal at the time – the Anfield outfit appear to have maximised their profits wherever possible.
One such transfer tale which can be looked upon favourably is the sale of Mamadou Sakho to Crystal Palace in 2017, with the Merseysiders having no doubt struck gold by being able to rake in £26m with the centre-back’s exit.
Where is Mamadou Sakho now?
The Premier League giants had appeared to have landed something of a coup with the £16m signing of the Frenchman back in 2013, with the defender having previously caught the eye after taking on the captain’s armband at former club Paris Saint-Germain at the age of just 17, while also winning the Young Player of the Year award in France during the 2010/11 campaign.
Lauded as an “important, marquee signing” by former managing director, Ian Ayre at the time of his arrival in England, the 6 foot 2 brute would go on to play 18 Premier League games during his debut campaign, as Brendan Rodgers’ side launched their bid for the title.
The Paris native would, however, fail to truly establish himself in the side over the next few years, with club legend Jamie Carragher writing in 2014 that Sakho ‘doesn’t fill you with confidence when you watch him’.
The polarising “monster” – as hailed by Rodgers – would notably fall down the pecking order following Jurgen Klopp’s arrival at the club, having been sent home from the club’s pre-season tour in 2016 due to concerns over his attitude.
Having been deemed surplus to requirements during the following campaign, Sakho was ultimately allowed to join Palace on loan in January 2017 for a fee of £2m, going on to make a strong impression in his temporary home despite only featuring eight times due to a season-ending knee injury.
After being nominated for the Eagles’ Player of the Year by supporters despite that limited involvement, the Selhurst Park outfit made the decision to splash out £26m to tie him down on a permanent deal, offering Liverpool a rather hefty sum for a player who appeared to have no future under Klopp.
That sale looked even more astute as Sakho went on to make just 75 appearances across all fronts over the next few years, eventually leaving the London side on a free transfer in 2021.
Now at Montpellier, the 33-year-old is now said to be worth as little as £2m – according to Football Transfers – with that a further indication of just what a perfect deal it was for the Reds to move the centre-back on just under six years ago.
