Potter looks to have landed a new signingplaceholder image
Potter looks to have landed a new signing | Getty Images
West Ham are closing in on a transfer as Graham Potter looks to get the summer business up and running.
Much better will be expected this season, and Potter knows he will have to start the season well after a disappointing few months between January and the end of the season. Potter was promised the chance to put his own stamp on his squad this summer, but the Iron bosses will be expecting to see a return on their investment, and you only have to ask Julen Lopetegui about the consequences on failing to deliver.
A number of new signings will be required this summer, and it looks as though West Ham have already found one of them. Slavia Praha left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf looks to be headed to the London Stadium, with the Czech club’s manager confirming as much.
Jindrich Trpisovsky said: “The situation surrounding El Hadji Malick Diouf? It's always the same. We're all thinking about a transfer. It's a matter of time. The club's management is taking care of it. Malick has an individual plan, we don't want to take any risks. He's a player with extraordinary qualities, and he will have them for the future. Slavia's demands must be met, but we believe he will leave.”
Diouf has only been in Prague since 2024, arriving from Norwegian club Tromsø. The 20-year-old is already a four-time Senegal international, and crucially for Potter, he can play both left-back and left wing-back. That is very useful for a manager who likes to play with five at the back.
In terms of how much West Ham will pay, the exact amount is unclear, but Slavia Praha’s president Jaroslav Tvrdik, has provided a good club, updating the media a few days before the latest development. He said: “There was a misunderstanding. There was talk of an offer that we were supposed to reject, but that information is false. There were two offers on the table, but neither of them exceeded 20 million euros [£17m] in the basic transfer price. Meanwhile, we have been saying for a long time that the price for Diouf will be over 20 million. And we do not have such an offer yet.”
The £17million or so is a big investment from West Ham, but Diouf is a player whose stock is rising quickly. He was quickly snapped up after impressive performances in Norway, only playing there as a senior player for one year before his move, and he has caught attention within a similar time frame in Prague while also picking up experience in Europe.
Potter and West Ham clearly feel as though Diouf has a high ceiling, and given the transfer fee and the clear need to improve quickly heading into this season, the Hammers must also belief the full-back can make an immediate impact in the Premier League.
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