El Hadji Malick Diouf could hardly have been granted a warmer welcome at West Ham United on the back of his £19 million switch from Slavia Prague to the Premier League outfit.
Former Hammers stalwart Cheikhou Kouyate even invited Diouf to his home while encouraging his fellow Senegalese to swap the Czech champions for a new challenge at the London Stadium.
Diouf decided he ‘only wanted West Ham’ after further talks with Graham Potter, meanwhile.
And, shortly after they played together for the first time during a behind-closed-doors friendly clash with Ipswich Town in July, Niclas Fullkrug spoke in glowing terms about a left-back whose devastating delivery could be the key to unlocking West Ham United’s £27 million centre-forward at last.
Add in Tomas Soucek, the former Slavia captain who has become something of a mentor to another footballer who swapped Prague for East London, and El Hadji Malick Diouf has understandably settled in pretty quickly to the claret and blue fold.
El Hadji Malick Diouf sees Tomas Soucek as his West Ham United ‘older brother’
It did not go unnoticed by the West Ham faithful that Diouf followed in the footsteps of Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal last month.
Soucek and Coufal were two of the most popular players during David Moyes’ second spell in charge. A pair of Europa Conference League champions whose arrival back in 2020 – for a combined fee of around £24 million – came to represent outstanding value for money.
If Diouf can make the same sort of impact, then he too will have a seat in the pantheon of Hammers cult heroes before long.
“It’s good [at West Ham]. A good team and a good environment,” Diouf told Czech publication TV Nova after the 1-1 draw with Lille on Saturday. “Something similar to what it was like at Slavia, so I’m happy.
“[Soucek] is a good guy. He’s like my older brother. I’m happy with him there. He’s great.”
Still only 20, Diouf – like so many other African talents, including a certain Mohammed Kudus – started his European footballing journey in Scandinavia. He joined Norwegian outfit Tromso in 2023 before moving on to Slavia Prague a year later.
The Dakar-born southpaw scored seven goals and four assists as Slavia won the Czech league last season, establishing himself as one of the most exciting attacking wing-backs around.
Though, as demonstrated when Diouf brilliantly marshalled Bukayo Saka during Senegal’s stunning 3-1 win over England in June, West Ham’s new number 12 should not be underestimated from a defensive standpoint.
Tony Cottee draws David Beckham comparison with Malick Diouf
The youngster already has one, albeit unofficial, assist to his name for his new employers.
After creating Fullkrug’s opener in that 2-0 win over AFC Bournemouth in Atlanta, Diouf then served up Jarrod Bowen’s second on a silver platter.
“Malik was positive in terms of his deliveries,” Potter beamed after West Ham ended the Premier League Summer Series with six points out of a possible nine, finishing runners-up to Manchester United. “And his crosses were really good.
Hammers legend Tony Cottee was reminded of David Beckham, meanwhile, after watching Diouf in action over in the USA. Albeit, from the opposite flank to the Manchester United and Real Madrid icon.
“The crosses that came in from Diouf, unbelievable!” Cottee beamed.
“I get so frustrated watching modern football. They get the ball out wide and they don’t cross it. But the ball was going out to Diouf and he just whipped in two fantastic crosses that West Ham scored from,” Cottee adds.
“You look at [Manchester United legend] David Beckham as a great example. One touch, whip it in.
“And, as a forward, you don’t want the ball going out wide, [the winger] checking, then going back again. Just put the ball in the box! Defenders hate it, forwards love it. If I was Fullkrug, I would be excited.
“You’ve got [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka one side, you’ve got Diouf the other side. You’ve got Bowen as well. [Lucas] Paqueta, who can make things happen. There are some real positives for West Ham.”
As for another former Slavia favourite, Hammers News understands that West Ham could still sell Tomas Soucek before the window closes. He is available for transfer, alongside Edson Alvarez, Guido Rodriguez and Nayef Aguerd.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
