Newcastle United went out of their way to tell the world they had no interest in signing Diafra Sakho this summer.
The call from managing director Lee Charnley at the time was to get the message to Sky Sports that the Magpies weren’t keen to sign the £3million striker from Metz.
Newcastle had certainly been made aware of Sakho via their own scouting network but opted out of paying what is now looking like a bargain.
United were so incensed by reports in the Chronicle that they were considering Sakho that the message from the club Press officer was: “This is the worst back page we’ve ever seen.”
Each goal Sakho scores places doubt over certain of those summer judgements – not least if he adds to that tally against Newcastle at Upton Park next month. The 24-year-old has notched five goals and one assist in his first six matches.
with West Ham sitting pretty in fourth place - already - and considering the millions up for grabs in TV money - Sakho has paid off a huge chunk of his fee with the Hammers already having banked more than a quarter of the survival tally of 40 points.
OK, it is early days. Sakho could still be a flash in the pan. But with Newcastle short on striker options and unable to rely on just the efforts of Papiss Cisse for the rest of the season, Sakho clearly could have done a job for the Magpies.
Charnley was praised in the summer for bringing in nine signings. Rather than sign the man who grabbed 20 goals in France’s Ligue 2 last season, though, Newcastle instead looked to the Spanish Segunda Division and Ayoze Perez.
Charnley did the deal and opted to go for Perez from Tenerife after United paid £1.3million for his services.
Perez has shown in the reserves he can find the net but first team opportunities have been limited and on Saturday against Leicester he looked a bit lightweight.
Charnley may pick some of the players United sign but he doesn’t pick the team and perhaps Perez will work better in a 4-4-2 system alongside Cisse.
The 21-year-old now heads into an important period of development with the difference in standard between the Spanish second tier and the unforgiving Premier League world there for all to see.
With just Cisse as the club’s main striker, no chance to sign a centre-forward until January and Manu Riviere waiting for his first Premier League goal the time is now to give Perez game time. If Newcastle are as proactive in getting the best out of their striker as they were in playing down talk of signing Sakho this story could have a happy ending.
