You might think, given the nature of El Hadji Malick Diouf’s footballing party trick, that West Ham United fell in love with the Senegalese left-back when watching him whip one of his trademark crosses into the penalty area.
But you’d be wrong.
El Hadji Malick Diouf might be one of the most exciting young left-backs in the game today. He might have scored seven goals while assisting four more as Slavia Prague won the Czech league title last season.
To paraphrase the West Ham United captain, Jarrod Bowen rates Malick Diouf as one of the best crossers of a ball he has ever come across. And, given that Bowen has shared a dressing room with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and James Ward-Prowse, that is high praise indeed.
But, according to The Athletic, it was when Diouf showcased another, less glamorous side to his game when West Ham decided to slam their foot onto the accelerator and get a £19 million deal tied up.
Specifically, it was the sight of Diouf shutting down Bukayo Saka as Senegal became the first African nation ever to get the better of England.
El Hadji Malick Diouf during Sunderland v West Ham United - Premier League
Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar Via Getty Images
West Ham United decided to sign Malick Diouf after he outshone Bukayo Saka
Back in June, the Indomitable Lions made their English equivalent look like helpless, clawless kittens.
A stunning 3-1 win over Thomas Tuchel’s side at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground stadium. There was to be no Diouf assist that day, not like his next visit to the East Midlands.
But the manner in which Malick Diouf marked Arsenal superstar Saka out the game had the West Ham scouts scribbling furiously in their notebooks.
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According to The Athletic, the Hammers had actually begun watching Diouf around a year previously. But while watching him in the flesh on the banks of the Trent – Saka barely got a kick before his withdrawal on 71 minutes – was the exact moment when West Ham ‘felt it was crucial to push ahead with securing his signature’.
And given that Saka has a staggering seven goals in 10 Premier League matches against Arsenal’s London neighbours, perhaps the Hammers could head to the Emirates with a renewed sense of hope this time next month.
Callum Wilson praises Diouf after Nottingham Forest assist
Clearly, the youngster is more than a fine crosser of the ball.
Upon his return to Nottingham on Sunday afternoon, Diouf produced his best performance in West Ham colours. If his wonderful assist for Callum Wilson’s stoppage time header was the icing on the cake, then his superb back-post defending provided the thick layer of sponge upon which the decoration was set.
“To be fair, it’s a fantastic ball from Malick,” Wilson told the official West Ham website.
“I’ve seen him do that so many times. It was just about getting into the right position to get on the end of it and, thankfully, it went in.”
Add Wilson to Bowen and also Niclas Fullkrug – Diouf made a fine impression on the big German during pre-season – and you’ve now got all three of West Ham’s striker options singing the praises of Potter’s second-most expensive acquisition.
Combine those on-the-sixpence deliveries with his potential to shut down even the finest of wingers, and the Hammers may have landed themselves not only a hugely exciting young full-back but an impressively complete one too.
“[Those crosses make Diouf] one of the best I’ve seen,” Bowen said last month, having already got on the end of a typically devilish delivery during the pre-season victory over Bournemouth.
“You know what, I had a little chat with him in training one time because he loves to bomb forward. I said, ‘Every time you get the ball out wide, do not turn back and play the ball to the centre-half. Just put the ball in the box’.
‘If I’m not there, you can shout at me. But if you don’t put the ball in, I am gonna shout at you!’
“When you build that kind of relationship as a forward, you want the ball in the box as many times as possible. Defenders don’t want to defend inside the box.”
Diouf now hopes to take his club form onto the international stage. Senegal face Sudan in a World Cup qualifier on Friday.
“The match against England is a benchmark for us, for Africa,” Diouf tells IGFM. “It gives the players visibility. We were lucky enough to join the English league afterward. Afterward, we keep our heads on our shoulders, while thinking about continuing the work.
“I’m riding the momentum of the West Ham games. It’s different in the national team because the game plan is different, but the pace and intensity is the same.”