West Ham spent a lot of money over the summer, breaking their record fee twice. The first of those, Issa Diop, is showing his promise and ability only 7 games into the season.
As with any big transfer, there was a fair amount of scrutiny when Diop was singed by West Ham. Breaking our record transfer fee for a young defender was always going to raise some eyebrows. Defenders typically mature later than other players, when would the Hammers start to see their return?
For me it was going to be a few years until we could make a judgement on his use, but I have been proved wrong. We’ve made a signing that already looks comfortable in the Premier League. Even if his form is patchy, the fee is going to prove a bargain for young Issa Diop.
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Since I can remember, the club have never really picked up stars on the rise. We’ve been unwilling to invest in the players who could become world beaters, preferring to go for established players or more diamond in the rough purchases. Don’t get me wrong, players like Lanzini are amazing, but they’re also a gamble. Given Diop was already captaining France’s U21 team, he wasn’t unknown. But the club dug deep to invest in the future, and they will get it back.
If we never sell Diop the value of this transfer is incredible. At 21 years of age, he has over 10 years left at the top, which means he will cost the club less than 2m per year in terms of transfer fee. As we’ve seen what he can do so far, that’s a steal. Plus if a club does decide to come in and try and get him for themselves, Diop will cost a lot. As he’s showing he can do it in the Premier League, that value increase is very large.
Hopefully this is the first in a series of purchases which will pay off, one way or another, for the Hammers. The money is there and will be recouped if spent properly, and there are many young players who want gametime. Because the big clubs can’t offer first team games all the time, and the smaller clubs can’t necessarily afford them, West Ham should make themselves a preferred destination for talent on the rise. Exciting talent and making money? Who loses there? The fans get exciting football and prospects, and the club are almost guaranteed to make a profit. Win, Win.