West Ham United have performed a massive U-turn over the future of £23m man Issa Diop according to a club insider.
We all know what a difference a day can make, let alone a few weeks, in the fickle world of modern football.
And West Ham, it seems, are no exception.
It was just a month or so ago that Issa Diop looked to have kicked his last ball for the Hammers.
Once rated at a staggering £75m by West Ham (The Telegraph) after a stunning debut season following his £23m arrival from Toulouse, Diop has never quite been the same player since.
There have been flashes of promise along the way. But the fact Diop has been West Ham’s fourth-choice centre back while working under two former defenders in the shape of manager David Moyes and his assistant Stuart Pearce tells you everything about his lack of progress.
A disastrous performance in a home defeat against hapless Leeds looked to have spelled the end of Diop’s West Ham career.
West Ham were allegedly prepared to accept a £15 million loss on Diop by selling him to Newcastle in the January window.
The Daily Mail claimed that the Hammers were willing to sell the 25-year-old centre-back to the Magpies right up to deadline day.
Diop remained at West Ham, though, and somehow put in a even worse display when facing sixth tier Kidderminster. He was not alone in his poor performance but was notably hauled off at half-time against a side 113 places below West Ham in the football pyramid.
Fate – in this case taking the form of Kurt Zouma picking up a stomach bug before kick-off at Leicester – conspired to hand Diop a chance of redemption, though. And he took it.
Now it seems that man of the match of performance has persuaded West Ham to make a massive U-turn on a player they were willing to sell on the cheap just a matter of weeks ago.
But not only will West Ham not sell Diop this summer, they want to hand him a new contract to boot.
That’s according to a ‘top inside source at West Ham’ when speaking to website Claret and Hugh.
West Ham perform massive U-turn over future of £23m man Issa Diop claims insider
“A top club insider has confirmed to us that there is no desire at the club to move the Frenchman out of the club in the next transfer window after he has shown signs of returning to his very best,” Claret and Hugh.
“Diop, we have been told, will be kept at the club and there could well be talks over a potential new contract, with his current deal set to expire in 2023.”
One swallow a summer does not make. And Diop will surely have to do a lot more to prove he has a long term future at the club.
The performance against Leicester was a great start. And the potential is certainly there for a top future partnership with Kurt Zouma.
At the end of the day if Moyes wants to keep Diop around then that’s the end of the conversation.
But it should not be in lieu of showing some proper ambition and signing a top class centre half in the summer – as we were allegedly trying do do in January.
Diop will undoubtedly get another chance to shine when he starts for West Ham in the FA Cup clash at Southampton on Wednesday night.
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