Grady Diangana
Diangana is another West Ham academy graduate who has progressed into the first team. The winger first broke into the team under Manuel Pellegrini and impressed thoroughly. The twenty-two-year-old scored two goals and assisted one in 21 first-team appearances for the Hammers.
The youngster impressed so much that ex-West Ham boss Slaven Bilic took him on loan to West Brom for the current campaign. Diangana has gone from strength to strength in the Championship, becoming a key member of the Baggies promotion push.
Diangana has improved his game immensely, he is always able to take on his marker with ease and creat chances for goals. In 22 appearances for West Brom, he has scored five goals and assisted six. This form has seen Diangana called-up and make his debut for the England under 21s.
There is some hope that Diangana will make the step up for West Ham next season and become a first-team regular in the 2020-21 season. This is more likely as current winger Andriy Yarmolenko looks to be on his way out of the club before the start of next season.
West Ham’s other winger options Michail Antonio and Robert Snodgrass are both in their thirties and could start to be phased out of the squad, especially with Diangana being a ready-made replacement.
Diangana’s current contract does last until 2025, giving the Hammers to time to evaluate him. If Diangana does start to impress in the Premier League the way he is in the Championship it won’t be long until he starts to attract interest from elsewhere. West Ham would be wise to make his contract rock-solid just so they don’t lose a potential world-class star for less than his value.