A recent transfer report has just vindicated former West Ham head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay.
Macaulay was brought in to work with Graham Potter last season and left when he was sacked in September.
His data-driven approach did not align with that of the chairman, David Sullivan, and the Hammers have since gone in another direction.
Well, Macaulay has just been proven right by a new report involving summer signing El Hadji Malick Diouf.
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Malick Diouf playing for West Ham against Newcastle United. Mateus Fernandes playing for West Ham against Tottenham.
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Kyle Macaulay decision looks genius as Malick Diouf transfer value rockets
Kyle Macaulay was responsible for West Ham’s £21.5 million signing of Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague last summer.
The Hammers have dealt with Slavia Prague before, with Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal completing the same move in 2020.
However, the Czech club remain an unlikely source of talent for an established Premier League club like West Ham.
Graham Potter and Kyle Macaulay during their time at Swansea City
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Still, Macaulay’s data convinced him to sign the left-back in a £21.5m deal that has turned out to be a master stroke.
According to the CIES Football Observatory, Diouf’s transfer value has already risen by £22m to £43.5m.
This makes him the 15th-highest valued under-23 player in the Premier League, closely behind Mateus Fernandes (£45.5m).
While experience is also important, these are the types of signings that will help West Ham develop a more competitive team.
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El Hadji Malick Diouf and Jarrod Bowen celebrate Fulham v West Ham United - Premier League
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The Hammers are often priced out of Premier League-proven stars, so they need to take risks on high-potential talent.
If only they had signed a few more Diouf-like players recently, they would not find themselves in a relegation battle.
It also suggests that Macaulay did a fine job at West Ham and perhaps the club were too hasty in letting him go with Potter.
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