I think that it is fair to say that Diame was a hidden gem. So far this season the tank that is Diame has impressed in most if not all his games. The Senegal international who was a free agent from Wigan and yes you did read that right, free agent really an unknown figure before he came to Upton Park. However it didn’t take Hammers fans too long to love Diame who has really influenced games and often controlled them this season.
Diame started his career at Lens in Ligue 1 where he played no games at all for them in the 2006/07 season. Then he moved to CD Linares the following year moving to then Segunda Division side Rayo Vallecano. Here played 35 games altogether starting 34 and coming off the bench for the remaining 1. While there he also scored 2 goals and recieved 11 yellow cards and 1 red card, his only red in his career so far. He helped his side to a mid-tabled finish.
Next was his move into English football where he enjoyed a successful spell with Wigan Athletic. He stayed with this team for 3 years before he moved to the almighty West Ham. During his time there he made 82 appearances, scoring 5 goals and making 3 assists. However it is unfair to judge him on his attacking abilities as he is much more a defensive midfielder. It is fair to say that Diame will be sorely missed at Wigan this year if his performances this season are anything to go by. As we know Wigan have escaped relegation very narrowly every season for the past few years and possibly Diame could have been a reason for this. We all know that Momo’s main attribute lies in his strength. He is very much a unit and players do just seem to bounce off of him when he goes forward.
So what has Mohamed Diame actually bought to the table for us this year. Well in my opinion a lot and possibly enough for us to escape relegation. He can be that player who saves us this season what with his defensive attributes. By no means is Diame frightened to go into a challeng either. He has so far this season proved what he is capable of doing and with Hammers fans high expectations he seems to have passed with flying colours.