Intriguing Sakho/Wickham sub plot

Sub plots within the main event are always engrossing and there’s one at the Stadium of Light tomorrow which looks fascinating from a Hammers point of view.

It involves Connor Wickham and Diafra Sakho.

Like everybody else I can’t wait to see the Irons eight goal striker team up with Andy Carroll – half of whose family are Sunderland fans by the way. I can’t believe we won’t line up with those two up front.

The Wickham interest from Sam Allardyce has been well recorded and at one stage it seems we were ready to off £6 million for the former Ipswich striker.

Sunderland, however, weren’t apparently ready to sell at £8m or even £10m and made it clear he would stay until summer 2015.

As a result we went back in for Sakho and have by common consent made the bargain buy of the season.

Tomorrow they go head to head with Wickham having scored two goals in 15 Premier League appearances and Sakho seven in nine.

The game will give us an opportunity to see what type of attacking approach we might have adopted had the Black Cats had said yes to our offer whilst giving thanks that Sakho was the man we finally signed.

I’m backing the Irons to win this one 1-0 although I think it will be Carroll who scores  this time around.