Taking the Premier League in his stride at just 20 years of age is West Ham’s summer signing El Hadji Malick Diouf. Reported by many to be the ‘signing of the season’ if his early season form is anything to go by, West Ham fans and team mates are in for a treat.
Already with three assists to his name, Diouf has a natural ability to land a cross on a striker’s head and is blessed with blistering pace – as demonstrated when he took on and left for dead his Everton marker with a lung-busting run and curling cross which led to the Hammers’ equaliser
Senegal to Stratford may seem like a challenging move – via Slavia Prague – but Diouf is well used to winter hardships having signed his first senior contract away from his homeland in Tromso, in the winter, where there is no sun for three months,. According to Roshane Thomas’ bio in the nytimes.com/athletic today, the youngster had a perfect preparation for the EPL:
“He arrived in Norway around 1am and it was snowing,” Malick Diop, co-founder of Mawade Wade,[coaching academy] tells The Athletic, “Malick hadn’t seen snow before. I will never forget it. He phoned me and asked, ‘Why is everything white? I can’t see the roads. Coach, do you think I can live here?’. I laughed so much. Malick was afraid because it was a completely new experience. It was in February, so you can understand how freezing it must’ve been. Tromso is colder than Oslo (the capital of Norway on the southern coast), but I told him, ‘Malick, don’t worry, this is the right place for you. You’ll thank me one day’.
Diouf went on to star in Norway and Slavia Prague soon followed. The Hammers’ talented youngster displayed a brilliant work ethic, even as a teen:
“When he was at Slavia Prague, there was an international break coming up,” he says. “Instead of looking forward to having time off, he was begging Senegal’s U20 coach (Serigne Saliou Dia) to call him up so he could play. Everyone else was probably partying, having fun, but he wanted to train. He’s always been like this.”
And on that fabulous left footed cross – Tore Rismo, Tromso’s former CEO describes it:“It’s so good and his technique reminds me a lot of David Beckham, Sometimes I think, ‘Am I watching Beckham or Malick?’ That’s one of the biggest compliments I can give to him. I don’t recall seeing him work on his crosses. He was born with this gift. His crossing ability makes defenders panic, it’s that good.”
It would seem that the Hammers have signed themselves an absolute monster with a voracious appetite for training, pace to beat his opposite number and a natural ability to bend a cross like Beckham. Good call, West Ham. Whoever found him.
Great player and he will make us a lot of money in the summer but please, can somebody coach him as how to take a throw in!
Love your new bio, Martin. I hope you see fit to renew your season ticket one day. Maybe Nuno Esperito Santo can restore your faith again, though I guess it’s not all about the team performances. The inappropriate stadium and the inappropriate ownership obviously don’t help. At least you have some good memories, just as I do. And the future looks brighter.🤞COYI !
Yes Martin Diouff is a talent and an exciting player, already nobody doubts his first team pedigree, we all rate him highly. So why not look at our own young players? If Diouff is ‘ready’, then Potts is ready, Scarles, Earthy, Marshall (and why not Irving) and several other names in their early twenties. We have a few prospects, let’s have a look. Good enough, old enough, whether internal or recruited.
He certainly looks a star in the making and certainly has a wand of a left foot. He seems a really decent fella let’s hope we can keep hold of him for a while Sullivan should tie him down to a new long term contract I doubt that will happen though