Senegalese winger El Hadji Malick Diouf takes big step forward with West Ham transfer
- Andrew Olsson
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
After over a week of rumors linking El Hadji Malick Diouf to the club, English Premier League side West Ham United finalized the transfer of the Senegalese winger on Tuesday in a big money move from Slavia Prague.
The 20-year-old joins on a five-year deal for a transfer fee reported to be €22 million from Czech champions Slavia. Diouf joins as West Ham looks to improve their fortunes after a poor 2024-25 season that saw the London club finish 14th on the 20-team Premier League table. West Ham has also brought in French defender Jean-Clair Todibo as they continue to boost their squad.
Diouf enjoyed a breakout 2024-25 campaign with Slavia, who won the Czech top flight by a wide margin. He contributed 7 goals and 4 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions while mainly operating in a left wing role. Diouf is also capable of playing left back which he did for Slavia as well as with the Senegal national team, with whom he has six appearances.
The versatile left flank player enjoyed a strong performance in Senegal's shock 3-1 victory over England in a friendly on June 10 at the City Ground in Nottingham.
Diouf previously made his first move to European club football in February 2023 with Norwegian club Tromsø after spending time in his native Senegal with Academie Mawade Wade. After establishing a regular role with Tromsø during the second half of the 2023 season, Diouf caught the eye of Slavia Prague who brought the talent in for the second half of their 2023-24 season.
With a direct style of play that involves pace and improving accuracy on services from the wing, Diouf appears to be a good fit for head coach Graham Potter and West Ham's style of play. Considering his swift progress in Norway and Czechia, the Senegalese rising talent is likely to get opportunities sooner rather than later to become a regular fixture at the Premier League club.
