- Diafra Sakho was on the bench for West Ham’s Carabao Cup defeat at Arsenal
- The striker was set to start but became embroiled in an argument with his boss
- Sakho had an exchange with Moyes about his lack of appearances in the league
- It is understood he gains a reward of £50,000 for every Premier League start
- MATCH REPORT: Welbeck strike seals narrow victory for Wenger’s men
Diafra Sakho came off the bench for West Ham in their Carabao Cup quarter-final at Arsenal after challenging manager David Moyes about his place in the team and his £50,000 bonus.
Sakho had expected to start at the Emirates Stadium until a conversation with Moyes about why the new manager had not been picking him to start in the Premier League team.
Afterwards, the 27-year-old striker said he no longer wanted to play and wanted to go home but was persuaded to stay and take his place among the substitutes.
Diafra Sakho (left) arrives at the Emirates as David Moyes issues orders from the touchline
Andre Ayew and Javier Hernandez led the line for the Hammers although Moyes insisted his contact with Sakho had been ‘only positive’.
Last week, in a 0-0 draw against Arsenal in the league, West Ham started with four recognised strikers on the bench and wingers Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic up front.
Sakho has appeared 14 times as a substitute in the league this season – and scored twice including the third in a 3-0 win at Stoke on Saturday — but has yet to make a start and believes that is down to a lucrative bonus clause in a new contract signed in the summer.
The new deal, signed after a £15m transfer to WBA collapsed after a medical, is understood to reward him with a £50,000 bonus whenever he starts in the Premier League — a bonus which more than doubles his basic weekly pay.
Sakho came off the bench once more on Tuesday during West Ham’s Carabao Cup loss
An appearance from the bench is worth half the figure. The bonus does not cover the cup competitions and Sakho’s only two starts this season have been in the League Cup.
The Senegal international wants to leave in January with Cardiff among those interested but the Championship promotion chasers are put off by West Ham’s £15m valuation.
Sakho, a bargain £3.5m signing from Metz in 2014, was close to joining West Brom until his medical detected a back problem which they thought might rule him out of the start of the season but he was fit to play as a sub for West Ham at Manchester United on the opening day of the season.
West Ham have denied that Sakho has been left out of the starting line-up due to the bonus in his contract.