A person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand.
The Oxford Dictionary
Fashion Sakala is the epitome of an enigma. Time and time again this season he’s followed up a moment of quality with a moment of sheer buffoonery. Think back to his goal at Tannadice, (my goal of the season) a touch and volley that Marco van Basten would’ve been proud of. Then, moments later, he’s falling over his own feet.
Even as recently as yesterday he was at it. Scoring a superb solo goal cutting inside and breezing past St.Mirren defenders before whipping a powerful shot low under the goalkeeper. Minutes after that he tried the same again and just stumbled over the ball and into the defender. Sometimes he makes you forget the moments of quality because of the volume of moments where he’s lacking that end product.
The Zambian forward is a very dangerous attacker, he’s lightning quick and highly unpredictable (not always by choice). This makes him a nightmare for defenders, if he doesn’t even know his next move, then how is the defender supposed to anticipate it?
He plays with a freedom that, ultimately, causes a lot of frustration. He’s always willing to run at defenders but, at times, it seems like his feet and brain aren’t completely in sync. This is what helps cause the chaos when he drives forward, he will always give defenders a hard time.
It’s easy to understand why fans get frustrated and also think he’s not good enough to be a regular starter. Looking at his numbers though, they suggest he should undroppable. In 29 SPFL appearances (22 starts) he has;
- 12 Goals
- 7 Assists
- 13% Conversion Rate
- 51% Successful Dribbles
19 goal contributions in those number of appearances is incredible, especially since he averaged 62 minutes per appearance. He actually averaged a goal contribution every 95mins this season in the SPFL. That’s pretty much a goal every game that he’s contributing to with a goal or assist.
Rangers need players to provide these kind of numbers. Even if he’s not a regular starter, surely you would want to keep around someone who can provide that from the bench? There’s a very split opinion from fans on social media regarding the 26-year-old.
The biggest debate seems to be that, if Rangers did want to sell him, what would he be worth? The reality is though, Rangers would be much worse off this season had it not been for his contribution. Numbers like his aren’t easily replaced and there’s a risk that, if he’s sold and replaced, his replacement may struggle to hit those figures.
Burnley are supposedly interested in taking him to the EPL after also showing interest in January. What is his value to Rangers though? If he goes for £2-3m, is that enough to bring someone in that can get close to 20 goal contributions a season? Players who provide the numbers aren’t cheap and that’s why Rangers shouldn’t jump to sell, or undervalue, Fashion Sakala.
What are your thoughts on one of the most smiley footballers in the world? Would you be looking to sell and replace him? Or just buy someone of higher quality for the wing and use him as a super-sub?
He’s an enigma wrapped up in a conundrum.
A bit of composure and he would be a great asset.
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