Bilic challenges Sakho to earn new deal or transfer

DIAFRA Sakho will be handed the chance to resurrect his West Ham career, and maybe come to Slaven Bilic’s rescue.

Amid the chaos and fallout of West Ham’s deadline-day dealings came the saga of Sakho, who flew himself to French club Rennes and underwent a medical.

Upon finding out West Ham had not agreed to sell him, the Senegal striker travelled back to England for showdown talks with the Hammers hierarchy — but only after a trip to Chelmsford racecourse where his agent’s horse won the 3.20.

Having failed to get the move he wanted, Sakho is now back in training and in contention for tonight’s visit of Huddersfield, a crucial match for Bilic whose future as boss will be in serious jeopardy if West Ham suffer a fourth straight defeat.

Beleaguered Bilic, who has also had to deal with West Ham’s dispute with Sporting Lisbon over their bid to sign William Carvalho, not to mention a public disagreement with his own chairman David Sulllivan, admitted: “There are so many issues, so I have to pull up the Diafra Sakho file now.

“Yeah, Diafra wanted to go. Did he have permission, permission on paper or just a form? I don’t know.

“The fact is he wanted to go there. He did a medical but West Ham decided not to sell him and he’s back with us.

“So I told him ‘Diafra, you are fit? I know what you can do. Sit there, hopefully now you are going to get fit and I am going to help you get focused here’.

“He looks good in training. Hopefully, he is going to stay like that for a long time. Because he will know that until January he is a West Ham player.”

Stars defend their goal against Fife Flyers. Pic by Ian Coyle photography.