Ever since Mamadou Sakho started playing for Crystal Palace, coming in on loan from Liverpool, Sam Allardyce’s team have picked up 12 points from a possible 15.
This weekend’s 3-1 loss away to Southampton was the club’s first since the France international’s inclusion into the team, and the 27-year-old’s impact has not gone unnoticed.
For the aforementioned French midfielder, who was speaking to SFR Sport over the weekend, the team’s results since Sakho’s arrival aren’t a surprise.
He said: “It’s true that since Mamad came into the team, he’s done us the world of good through his quality, his personality, charisma on the pitch. He allows those who play next to him to up their game, to gain confidence.
“What I find amazing is he does this after spending more than a year without playing, that’s what’s fantastic, and it shows the quality and mental strength of the player, how much of a professional he is, to be at the level he is today, to have stayed in shape.”
Following his brief ban from football following a failed drug test, Mamadou Sakho was pushed away from Liverpool’s first-team by Jürgen Klopp due to behavioural issues during pre-season.
Sent to rot in the club’s reserves, the former Paris Saint-Germain captain was saved by Crystal Palace towards the end of January, where he will end the season.
