For a moment it felt like we’d all spent too long in the sun. But after a summer of inaction it turned out the rumours were true and West Ham really have signed a player. Left back El Hadji Malick Diouf has signed from Slavia Prague for £19 million plus add-ons. The Czech side won the league last season and it’s hopefully a lucky omen that Slavia Prague’s home ground is the Eden Stadium where West Ham won the Europa Conference League in 2023.
Last season Diouf scored seven goals from his wing-back position for Slavia and provided three assists. He also impressed keeping Arsenal’s Saka quiet while playing for Senegal in their recent 3-1 friendly win over England. At 20 he is a good age and could be one El of a player. Diouf’s also shown a lot of character to leave home at a young age, first for Tromso in Norway and then Slavia Prague.
This is a glimpse of the side Potter wants, with Wan-Bissaka and Diouf as forward-thinking wing-backs with three defenders in the middle. The 30-year old Emerson will surely be moved on with Ollie Scarles as the main back-up on the left. What that system will need though is a couple of dynamic midfielders to make it work and another striker to compete with Fullkrug. But this at least feels like progress after the sale of Kudus.
1 comment:
Yes, a good player signed on the dotted line, great news. the stream of click bait headlines at this time of year is ridiculous, the Jack Grealish news was just what Sullivan would have wanted to boost season ticket sales. Lets hope Graham Potter can make a few more in the positions you have suggested, fingers crossed for the rest of the summer!
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