West Ham boss Slavan Bilic has handed wantaway striker Diafra Sakho a lifeline at the club, saying that he hopes the player focuses enough to return to the clubs’ starting XI.

Sakho flew himself to French club Rennes on deadline day and underwent a medical at the club, however he later found that West Ham had not agreed to sell him to the club.

Having failed to get his move away from the Hammers, the forward is now back training for the club, something that can be praised given his desire to leave. Manager Slavan Bilic has had a rough time so far this season at West Ham, and admitted that Sakho was a player who wanted out of the club on deadline day.

“Yeah, Diafra wanted to go. But also, that issue is not quite black and white. Did he have permission, permission on paper or just a form or an SMS? I don’t know.”

“The fact is he wanted to go there. He did a medical, but the club decided not to sell him and he’s back.”

“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’s been training. He came back – he flew to Rennes last week, a couple of days before the end of the transfer window – but he’s been training since.”

“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.”

“That’s the way he’s going to get a new contract, or play again for Senegal, or get a move: if he plays good.”
[Quotes via Sky Sports]

Should Sakho be given another chance at the club?