Why Senegal Must Pick Diafra Sakho

Despite his superb start to life in the Premier League, Diafra Sakho was overlooked by Senegal manager Alain Giresse for the team’s recent Cup of Nations double-header against Tunisia. Following his excellent form in England, however, the French manager must make the striker a key feature of the Senegal side before it is too late.

Sakho has taken the Premier League by storm since arriving at West Ham United in the summer. Admittedly, he starred at FC Metz as the Moselle side claimed the Ligue 2 crown last season, but there was no guarantee that his fine form in France would translate to the Premier League.

Indeed, Sakho wasn’t even the top scorer in the French second tier last term; Andy Delort and Mathieu Duhamel both scored four more than the Senegal striker. The latter remains at Caen, while Delort has hardly set the world alight since switching to Championship Wigan Athletic in the summer.

The fortunes of these two are perhaps closer to the expectations that many of us had for Sakho.

Not only has Sakho moved to a new club, a new nation and a new league, he has also taken a major step up in standard.

His impact with the Hammers has been outstanding.

He scored on his first start, against Sheffield United in the League Cup, and has since gone on a run of bagging six in his first six Premier League starts.

He scored on his home EPL debut, against Hull City, in a 2-2 draw, then helped the Hammers to a terrific 3-1 victory over Liverpool at Upton Park.

Subsequently, Manchester United, Burnley and Queens Park Rangers have all encountered a lethal Sakho in excellent goal-scoring form.

His run shows little sign of abating. He scored the Hammers’ second (and ultimately the winning goal) against Manchester City and also contributed an assist against Burnley in the middle of October.

Of the seven goals Sakho has scored for West Ham, five have been headers, although this perhaps gives an inaccurate account of his contribution.

He is competent in the air—just ask Joe Hart—but he brings a lot more than just an aerial threat to the Hammers’ front line. He is a versatile operator, who has adapted well to Sam Allardyce’s different approaches. He offers pace, guile, terrific off-the-ball movement and thrives in wide and central areas.

Surely, tough spells will come, and there will be periods when things aren’t so easy for Sakho, but right now, few strikers in the European game look like a safer bet for a goal.

It has helped that West Ham are on fine form and are a team clearly enjoying their start to the campaign under Allardyce, but Sakho has proved already that he can cut it in the Premier League. He is only 24, and it is little wonder that Hammers chairman David Sullivan is keen to improve the forward’s contract and tie him down to a longer deal in east London, per Simon Jones of The Mail on Sunday.

Despite his encouraging start to the EPL season, Diafra Sakho remains in the cold as far as the Senegal national side is concerned.

He made his debut in May 2014 against Burkina Faso, before featuring against Kosovo in another victory some days later. This second fixture also saw him score his first goal for the Lions of Teranga.

Despite this, however, he has been overlooked in subsequent matches.

Partly, this is understandable. Of all of Africa’s nations, none (with the potential exception of the Ivory Coast) are more blessed in offensive areas than Senegal.

Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba, Newcastle United’s Papiss Cisse and Dame N’Doye of Lokomotiv Moscow are their more experienced options. Moussa Sow is another powerful, speedy operator. Mame Biram Diouf and Sadio Mane have already got their names on the scoresheet in the Premier League this season, while 21-year-old Pape Moussa Konate is champing at the bit, desperate to add to his (impressive) five goals in eight caps to date.

From Giresse’s point of view, he already has exceptional attacking options and may not feel the need to turn to new faces.

According to Chris Waugh of MailOnline, Sakho could be ruled out for a month due to a shoulder injury, and thus he would miss the upcoming Cup of Nations qualifiers. However, there are three key reasons why the ex-France international Giresse must now turn to the Hammers forward as soon as possible, indeed, definitely for the 2015 Cup of Nations should the Lions qualify.

The first reason, as discussed above, is Sakho’s scoring rate in the EPL. While the likes of Ba, Cisse, Mane and Diouf have all found the net in the top flight within the last 12 months, none can come close to Sakho’s seven-in-seven record.

The second is that, despite their attacking options, Senegal looked worryingly toothless in their two latest Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Two games into Group G, the West Africans were cruising, having picked up six points from matches with Egypt and Botswana.

Their obligations, for October’s double-header against Tunisia, were simply to keep pace with the North Africans and keep a good distance between themselves and Egypt.

They failed in these objectives.

Over two matches, the Lions failed to score, and conceded a 94th-minute goal in the second leg in Monastir to hand all three points to the Eagles of Carthage.

They now find themselves three points behind the Tunisians and only one ahead of Egypt. On November 14 they head to Cairo to face the Pharaohs. Lose this, and suddenly, AFCON participation is taken out of their hands.

Giresse cannot afford another impotent display in the upcoming qualifiers. When Sakho returns from fitness, the manager can no longer ignore a player who—for now at least—appears to be in the form of his life.

Sakho could prove to be an invaluable asset to the side at the Cup of Nations...indeed, if Senegal make it to the African showpiece.

Finally, another unlikely menace ought to prompt the manager to establish Sakho’s commitment to the Senegalese cause. The forward may have been capped, but as his matches to date have come in friendlies, he is still eligible to switch nationality.

Speaking to Goal.com over the weekend, he responded to reports that Didier Deschamps is keen to recruit him for the France national team. Sakho didn’t, however, reaffirm his desire to represent the Lions of Teranga.

"It is flattering to hear that France might be looking at me," he began, "but I am only thinking about West Ham and doing my best for them at the moment and nothing else."

Giresse may feel he has options now, but with Cisse, Ba and Sow all heading towards 30, it would be wise to turn an eye towards the future. Unless Sakho heads into an unlikely decline, he can be both the present and the future for the Lions of Teranga.

The manager must recall him as soon as possible, at least to ensure that he isn’t tempted any further by Les Bleus.