Senegalese left-back, El Hadij Malic Diouf has joined West Ham from Slavia Prague in a £22.5m transfer.
Diouf has scored eight goals in 38 appearances for Slavia Prague since he moved to the Czech club in January 2024, but now will undertake a new challenge at West Ham after the Hammers paid a £19.5m fixed fee plus £3m in add-ons totalling £22.5m.
Upon confirmation of his arrival on a five-year contract until June 2030, Diouf spoke of his happiness at making the move to East London to progress his career after interest from multiple teams.
“I’m really happy to be here and to make a progression for my career. I’m looking forward to working hard and joining my new team-mates.
“There were a lot of teams [who wanted to sign me], but I chose West Ham United first and I spoke with the coach [Graham Potter] and it was a good plan for me.”
The 20-year-old added that the Premier League is a dream for many footballers and especially youngsters who can control their personality for the sake of the team.
“Everyone wants to come here to play in the Premier League. I think it is a dream for everyone. When they are here, they want to make everything good. I think they also have the personality to play here and if you are young, you want to continue your progression.
“If you are young, you have to keep your personality. It’s about the team. The most important thing is the team, not the player. I want to say to the West Ham supporters I’m very happy to be here with them. I think we’ll make a very good season this year.”
Head Coach, Graham Potter added: “We are very pleased to welcome El Hadji Malick to West Ham United,” said Potter. “He is a young player we have been watching for some time, and somebody that we believe can be a really good fit for what we are trying to build at the Club.
“He has shown tremendous strength of character and maturity at such a young age – leaving his home in Senegal to move to Norway at 18, and then moving on to Prague – and his performances have been at a consistently high level for some time now.
“He has made some terrific progress so far with his clubs and with the Senegal national team, and we are looking forward to welcoming him into the squad and working with him to continue that progress.”
Potter however iterated that Premier League football won’t be easy initially for Diouf to adapt to but praised the left-wing-back for his positive attitude to the challenge ahead.
“The Premier League will be a big challenge for El Hadji Malick, but I can tell that he is really excited by it and determined to make a good impact at the Club and on our supporters. He is young, hungry and ambitious, and I think he will be a very positive addition to the group.”
Diouf begam his senior career at Norway’s Tromsø with three goals in 21 appearances across 2023 before he moved to Slavia Prague.
Diouf represents Senegal at international level with four senior caps since his debut in September 2024.
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