
El Hadji Malick Diouf first out West Ham exit doors after relegation amid stunning reveal
El Hadji Malick Diouf could already be on the lookout for a new club as West Ham drift closer and closer to Premier League relegation.
Very few travelling fans expected a positive result at Anfield on Saturday, 28 February, but after being smashed 5-2 by Liverpool, the chances of survival are dimming with each game.
Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen look to be West Hamβs most obvious routes for success in the closing stages of this season, but even the wingers were fruitless on Merseyside.
With Nottingham Forest yet to play Brighton, the Hammers could finish the weekend five points from safety, and that really would spell danger for the East London club.
El Hadji Malick Diouf is head and shoulders above the rest
Amongst all the darkness, there has been very little light, but one player who can continue to hold his head high is Diouf, who grabbed the assist for Tomas Soucekβs goal at Anfield.
It was his second assist in his last four Premier League games, also notching one against Burnley in the first week of February, taking his record up to five for the 2025-26 campaign.
As pointed out by Opta on X (28 February), the West Ham man now leads the way for assists from a defender in the top tier of English football, proving what fans up and down the league already know.
When everything is negative at the London Stadium, the 21-year-old keeps giving supporters a reason to smile, but that might not last much longer, with relegation on the cards this term.
West Ham must prepare for a mass exodus amid relegation fears
Given how much the Hammers have lost financially, it is expected that multiple big names are sold, whether the club secure safety or are relegated to the Championship this season.
Bowen, Summerville, Mateus Fernandes and Taty Castellanos are all players who could jump ship come the summer.
While Diouf is only in his first season at the London Stadium, teams all over Europe will already be eyeing a bargain deal for the defender, and that is made much easier by the clubβs current situation.
Whether itβs for his defensive ability or his deadly delivery in the final third, he is a powerful player to have in the squad, and several Premier League managers have learned that the hard way this season.
It is only a matter of time before clubs come knocking.
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