West Ham United’s sporting director Mark Noble might not have realised it, but he made a brief cameo in the Spanish press over the weekend as Grady Diangana dazzled against Real Madrid.
It is nearly five-and-a-half years since that Tweet and that sale.
For all the frustration aimed towards West Ham United’s board this season – fan group Hammers United organised the largest-ever protest against David Sullivan and Karren Brady at the beginning of November – at least things haven’t reached ‘captain slamming the club on social media’ kind of depths.
Ok, It may have come slightly too close for comfort. Jarrod Bowen found himself embroiled in a spat with one unhappy supporter against Wolves in September. But things have not been toxic enough for a repeat of that infamous 2020 Tweet.
Mark Noble was furious when West Ham sold Grady Diangana to West Brom on the back of an exciting loan spell at the Hawthorns. He wasn’t the only one. The captain was ‘gutted, angry and sad’ to see the Hammers cash in on one of their brightest academy talents, and so too were many supporters.
Imagine if West Ham had sold George Earthy or Freddie Potts following their Young Player of the Season-winning campaigns at Bristol City and Portsmouth. You get the idea.
It is fair to say, then, that few back in 2020 would have imagined that it would take half a decade for Diangana to play a top-flight game.
Diangana joined Elche on a free transfer when his West Brom contract expired last summer. And, on the evidence of his fabulously front-footed performance against none other than Real Madrid, the former England Under-21 international could be about to provide a belated reminder why Noble and co rated him so highly at West Ham.
Former West Ham United starlet Grady Diangana helped Elche scare Real Madrid
Alvaro de Grado, a reporter who works for the likes of DAZN and Marca, did some digging and found that Mark Noble-authored post which sparked such furore.
“Now that he’s playing against Real Madrid, it’s a good time to recall the schism that erupted over the transfer of Grady Diangana, which even had the captain of his former team speaking out publicly,” De Grado wrote on his own X account.
On what was only his third La Liga start, meanwhile, Diangana seized the chance to showcase the raw talent and the occasionally mind-melting skills which had him tipped for such great things all those years ago.
Which player were you most disappointed to see West Ham sell?
And how did you react when Diangana left?
“He was excellent,” Spanish football expert and one-time Manchester United forward Terry Gibson said on El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast.
Gibson describes Elche’s performance in an enthralling 2-2 draw as one of the greatest underdog displays he can recall. Confident and determined to test the mettle of Xabi Alonso’s flawed Real Madrid outfit, Diangana epitomised the hosts’ adventure.
Constantly popping up in the number ten role behind Dani Ceballos and Arda Guler, it has seldom been more apparent that Real Madrid probably need to find themselves another Casemiro.
“The problem is that [Xabi Alonso] doesn’t have top-level midfielders, like Elche does,” one supporter wrote after the former Bayer Leverkusen boss extended his winless run to three matches.
“They play soccer really well with Aleix Febas, Marc Aguado, and Grady Diangana. Let’s be serious, Real Madrid is a mediocre team.
“By the way, those who say that [Toni] Kroos and [Luka] Modric have left and that’s why we don’t know how to play this possession game, I hope [you are] seeing how Aleix Febas, Aguado, and Diangana from Elche were touching the ball,” another points out.
“Serves them to see that this isn’t about players, the problem is another.”
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“They were far superior to Real Madrid, displaying tremendous character and with several players like Febas, [German] Valera, and Diangana performing at a spectacular level.”
“For Real Madrid, it was more of the same. Lacking ideas and showing very little effort. We’re also missing a defensive pivot, [which meant] Diangana is receiving and turning very easily.”
Diangana could play alongside Aaron Wan-Bissaka at the 2026 World Cup
Only a fine Thibaut Courtois save denied Diangana, who departed just past the hour to a standing ovation, a first assist in Spanish football.
Capped eight times since switching his international allegiance to the country of his birth, clamour is growing for Diangana to return to the DR Congo squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Providing they get there, of course.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and co defeated Nigeria in a play-off this month. This means DR Congo are now just one win away from booking their spot.
Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Andy Irving and El Hadji Malick Diouf seemingly have a World Cup spot sewn up. Mateus Fernandes, Tomas Soucek and Callum Marshall could also feature at the ‘Festival of Football’.
“The break was needed. Our international players have returned, some happy, some not so happy. Some over the moon because they qualified,” Nuno said ahead of Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.
“It was needed.”
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