West Ham United kicked off their summer rebuild under Graham Potter with a £19 million move for Senegalese full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf.
The 20-year-old enjoyed an eye-catching campaign in the Czech First League and followed that up with a couple of impressive international performances for Senegal.
West Ham scouts were reportedly convinced of his potential after he kept England star Bukayo Saka quiet in a friendly against England earlier this month. That performance sealed the deal.
Diouf’s numbers are exciting. Seven goals and four assists in 41 appearances last season tell only part of the story.
The young full-back ranked among the best players in Europe’s top leagues for overlapping and underlapping runs, proving he’s just as effective going forward as he is in defence.
Diouf’s attacking ability will be music to the ears of West Ham fans. He averaged 5.7 crosses per 90 minutes last season, but he has so much more to offer.
The Senegalese defender is rapid on the break, has a keen eye for a pass, and is near unstoppable when bombing down the left flank with the ball at his feet.
His decision-making may not be in the elite category yet, but it’s good enough to set him apart from many young full-backs.
According to statistics from Fbref, Diouf ranks in the 95th percentile for progressive passes (6.77 per 90 minutes), 90th percentile for progressive carries (3.31 per 90), and 93rd percentile for successful take-ons (1.51 per 90) among full-backs.
He also ranked in the 96th percentile for touches in the opposition’s box (3.31 per 90) and 95th percentile for progressive passes received (8.43 per 90).
On the other side of the ball, Diouf still has a lot of work to do. He’s strong in the air (winning 66% of his aerial duels) and reads the game well (boasting a 50% success rate in ground duels).
He also averaged 1.3 tackles, 3.7 ball recoveries, and 1.9 clearances per match in the Czech top flight last term, but his positioning has been called into question a few times.
At his age, that’s not unusual. And under a manager like Potter, who has a reputation for developing players, Diouf is in the right hands to iron out those flaws.
With veterans like Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal moving on, and Emerson possibly heading back to Italy, reinforcing left-back was a priority.
Oliver Scarles is still considered a talented player with a bright future, but Diouf looks like he’s ready to contribute right away.
If the Senegalese defender can adapt to the intensity of the Premier League and improve the defensive side of his game, he could be the next big success story out of Czech football.