Rumour Mongering: Crystal Palace Join Race for Mamadou Sakho

Palace manager Sam Allardyce is looking to shore up a leaky defense in this winter transfer window and, like many other mid-table outfits, see the out-of-favor defender as the perfect bargain to be had. The Eagles, however will need to make their way to the back of the line as the list of similarly-inclined clubs now stretches from the middle of the Premier League table, through the Serie A, the Ligue 1 and even out to the Russian Premier League.

Big Sam will be hoping he can find a way to cut the queue, as his side, that has already shipped eight goals in the four league games since he was hired over the festive period, and a whopping 40 for the season, desperately need the sort of injection of quality and leadership that Mamadou Sakho will surely be able to provide. Currently just barely teetering over the drop zone on goal difference, a move would be a great fit for a Palace squad that, with the likes of Wilfried Zaha and ex-Red Christian Benteke, don’t actually need all too much help going forward.

Furthermore, the appeal of playing in London—rather than, say, Moscow—for a solid, but underachieving manager and on a solid, but underachieving squad, means that a switch might even make sense for Sakho as well.

It has been an unusually quiet window so far among Europe’s bigger clubs, so either way, the hope is that someone at least will meet the reported £20m asking price and allow Liverpool fans to finally put the whole saga behind them. Palace, with their dire need for the Frenchman’s talents, while also possessing the stomach for Sakho’s lofty wages with the likes of Benteke and Yohan Cabaye already earning in excess of £100k-per-week, makes this one as good a move as any.