Diafra's dreaming big

Diafra Sakho is scoring goals for fun right now but reckons it should come as no surprise, given the quality that surrounds him at West Ham United.   

A second-half header, the winner as it turned out, against Manchester City on Saturday extended his goalscoring streak to seven goals in seven starts, but the 24-year-old has no plans to let it end there.  

While Barclays Premier League points remain his prime concern, Sakho is keen to hear rather more of his new song, even if 'he scores when he wants' poses a linguistic problem or two.   


Sakho celebrates his latest Hammers goal on Saturday

"I didn't understand it at the beginning, but I asked Ricardo Vaz Te and he translated it for me," Sakho explained. "I'm really touched by them saying that all the time. It makes me happy to hear that and gives me even more motivation to score. I'll always try to give them that, if I can."

Not that Sakho is short of motivation at present, nor of goals, for that matter. His supreme form has, in part, fired the Hammers to four wins in five and the Senegal striker wants the Club to make the absolute most of their purple patch. 

"The run goes on for all of us, the whole team," he added. "We know that after Saturday there's still a long, long way to go - as I always say - but we're trying to bag all the points that we can.

"We're trying to keep it going and that's really pleasing. My teammates on Saturday inspired me and so I dream big. When it ends, I'll accept that. But we're going to slog away to continue it. 

"Saturday was great. To play at home in front of our fans, that spurs us all on to aim high and we'll carry on right until the end so that it will be the stuff of dreams for all the fans who came to watch us every week."

Compatriot and fellow summer signing Cheikhou Kouyate - himself just back from injury - is revelling in Sakho's success and gladly gatecrashed the interview to shower praise on the No15.    

"I feel good, that's a big win and my man, who can't stop scoring and continues to make us happy," Kouyate confirmed.

"I am really happy for him and I hope, for him, that he's going to continue like that. We owe Diafra a thank you! It's a great win and we mustn't forget also to thank the fans, what we've done on Saturday is thanks to them too.

"Diafra's unreal, that's his level. He continues to surprise me and surprise everyone. I know very well that he can do better still and he's going to carry on scoring!"

Modest as ever, Sakho shrugged off the plaudits and instead claimed the goals are par for the course in such talented company.

Ironically, the Senegalese duo so nearly combined to lethal effect, with Sakho curling Kouyate's lay-off just over the angle of post and bar. The one that got away, said Sakho, though he is vowing to stick it away next time and on this form, he probably will.     

"When you play with great players that's what happens - you have to score goals. That's normal.

"The one I really wanted to score was from the pass that Cheikhou gave me. That would have been the one people would have been talking about all week long. Next time, for sure!"