West Ham may be on the verge of securing a deal for exciting defender El Hadji Malick Diouf – if a big social media hint from a Czech footballer is anything to go by.
The post has sparked fresh excitement among Hammers fans desperate for progress in the window.
West Ham knocked the cobwebs off their dormant summer transfer window this week.
It emerged that multiple bids were in for players as the Hammers finally gave fans – and manager Graham Potter – some much-needed hope.
Hammers finally active in the window
West Ham’s owners have been insisting since last November that the club must sell to buy due to PSR.
But the Hammers board revealed they could start arranging signings as soon as they were certain sales were on the horizon.
Since then links to players fitting Potter and Kyle Macaulay’s specific profile – chiefly young, athletic and affordable – have slowly started to ramp up.
The transfer window burst into life for West Ham with confirmation the club had tabled a bid for Slavia Prague and Senegal star El Hadji Malick Diouf.
El Hadji Malick Diouf celebrates after England v Senegal - International Friendly
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
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Diouf shone in Senegal’s 3-1 win over England recently and has clearly captured the attention of West Ham.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed West Ham had an initial proposal rejected for the left-back-cum-wing-back.
The Hammers offered around £17.5m for the 20-year-old but Slavia reportedly want over £20m.
Those valuations clearly aren’t a million miles away.
So West Ham fans have been hoping the club will front the extra money to give Potter his new left-back.
Especially after supporters watched pacy Diouf give England a tough time with his running, skill and brilliant crossing.
Having previously signed Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal from Slavia – whose home ground also played host to the Hammers lifting their only major trophy of the last 45 years – West Ham would hope good relations might help strike a deal.
The big worry with the Hammers is that another club will swoop and take their targets away.
That threat became real this week when Italian side Atalanta – who have Champions League football to offer – were linked with 20-year-old Diouf too.
But now there has been a potential major twist.
Because a Czech footballer has teased that a West Ham deal for star Diouf is close.
West Ham head coach Graham Potter shares a laugh with midfielder Tomas Soucek
Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
Jiri Sodoma is a 30-year-old forward who plays for Czech National League side SK Sparta Kolin.
Sodoma came through the ranks at Slavia Prague and was a former Czech Republic Under 19s teammate of Soucek.
When fan favourite and four-time Czech player of the year Soucek joined West Ham, he worked with David Moyes to help bring Coufal to east London too.
Now, according to Sodoma – who has a number of pictures on his social media showing him taking part in events alongside Soucek and Coufal in recent years – the Hammers midfielder has been up to his old tricks to help West Ham seal a deal for Diouf.
Friend of Soucek and Coufal teases imminent West Ham signing
“Agent Soucek continues his work,” Sodoma posted on X alongside eyes, Czech flag, arrow and England flag emojis.
“There’s something to look forward to,” he added, tagging in a popular West Ham account.
When asked to elaborate and whether it is Diouf, Sodoma simply replied with emojis of red and white circles to signify a Slavia Prague player alongside ‘Arrive soon’ and crossed Hammers emojis.
This is exciting news for West Ham because Sodoma will undoubtedly be very well informed.
Just last week he played Padel with Soucek, sharing a picture of them together on X.
That was having played alongside Coufal in a charity game back in Slavia Prague colours, where he is pictured back row, one in from the right and the former Hammer front row middle.
Signing Diouf would be a great way to kickstart Potter’s rebuild.
Hammers fans will now be hoping Sodoma is right.