Hadi Sacko’s Return is a Positive Move for Leeds
The need for speed in the Championship makes Sacko an integral signing for the Whites.
Hadi Sacko is officially a Leeds United player after signing a reported 3-year deal on Tuesday. Since the announcement of the deal, Leeds fans have been divided on whether the French striker should have been brought back after a Jekyll and Hyde season whilst on loan at the club under former manager Garry Monk.
The potential is evident and the £65 million buyout clause is testament to that. He’s not everyone’s taste and he did struggle towards the end of last season, but Sacko does add a different dimension to the squad.
For me, Sacko showed signs that he can be a real threat in the Championship; his pace alone is a massive asset. Championship defenders struggle to contain a player who has the ability to go past them at speed. Most defenders in the league do not have that turn of pace to deal with a Sacko-type player.
I also believe a solid formation makes a successful team in the Championship: the league lacks the quality to play expansive attacking football, so players who possess flair in an attacking sense can be difference makers in a league with such fine margins between top six and relegation.
We saw in the early stages of the season that Sacko was our most creative threat, mostly due to that speed. Because of that early potential, a sign of what Sacko could become, we all had an expectation.
Within a team that often last season lacked creativity, Sacko was at times the lone provider. Assists against Blackburn, Wigan, Norwich in the cup, Wolves and Aston Villa all raised our opinions of the lad. His form did drop after the New Year. However, there is an argument that everyone’s form started to dip after December as a lack of depth and tiredness plagued the squad, but the consistency and potential we saw at the beginning of the year started to fade away.
I think we have to look beyond his lack of awareness during games because, as his reaction this week has shown, he has the desire to achieve big things at Leeds United and looks genuinely excited to be back at the club. He also seems like a player who knows his faults and is willing to put them right.
That said, I personally wouldn’t start him every game. I believe a player with those attributes is more effectively used in the latter stages of games. Leeds were rigid under Garry Monk and it cost us points. Introducing Sacko more when the game has become flat will make a difference. If you watch him he often finds space on the right and when the ball was played to his feet he was a handful. I found we often saw balls being played into space and he was expected to chase the ball… his feet simply moved too fast for his brain to catch up. I think by giving him the ball to feet, we will see him become integral late on in games as we chase promotion.
He won’t score bags of goals - I don’t think that is in his locker. I look at him as an attacking midfielder, a provider, rather than playing upfront. We still need extra support upfront and players who get beyond the striker, especially if the new management choose to stay with 4–2–3–1.
We all have an opinion on every player that arrives at the club, and after the frustration that Sacko caused last season, I can fully appreciate the reservations about a permanent deal, especially before a new manager is signed. But, Hadi has shown glimpses of his quality and if that can be unlocked on a regular basis, then Leeds have just smashed it with his signature. MOT.
