West Ham surely have simple El Hadji Malick Diouf sale decision after he let them down vs Brentford
West Ham United will surely be fuming with El Hadji Malick Diouf after his poor defensive display cost them in their 3-0 defeat away at Brentford on Saturday.
The left-back has largely been an impressive performer for the Hammers this term, but he was found wanting at the Gtech Community Stadium as he made several key defensive errors during the game.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have been resurgent in recent weeks, but they now find themselves in deep trouble once again after they were beaten convincingly across the capital.
Diouf’s disappointing display came at the end of a week that has seen summer links with Manchester United emerge, and his current club will have been given plenty of food for thought as a result.
West Ham’s transfer plans are set to see them work hard to try and keep hold of their best players this summer, but Diouf may now have drastically changed their stance regarding his future.
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VISIT THE WEST HAM TRANSFER HUBEl Hadji Malick Diouf’s defensive weaknesses badly exposed
Diouf has proven to be one of West Ham’s better signings in recent years since he joined from Slavia Prague for £19million last summer, but much of his praise has come due to his attacking exploits.
The 21-year-old already has five assists in the Premier League, but his defensive work has often seen eyebrows raised at times throughout the campaign.
| Stats | Diouf Totals |
| Minutes | 74 |
| Accurate Passes | 25/31 (81%) |
| Chances Created | 1 |
| Defensive Contributions | 5 |
| Tackles | 2 |
| Duels Won | 3/5 (60%) |
His efforts at the back left a lot to be desired on Saturday, and Nuno would be well within his rights to feel let down by the way that Diouf performed.
The youngster was caught under the flight of a looping ball immediately before the Konstantinos Mavropanos own goal that set the hosts on their way, before lunging into a silly challenge on Dango Ouattara to give away a penalty for the second goal.
Both instances showed a complete lack of defensive awareness from the Senegal international, and it ultimately played a major role in West Ham slipping to what could become a season-defining defeat.
The Hammers will weigh up Diouf’s importance as a whole when it comes to deciding his future, but after the latest round of evidence, they will surely be a little more tempted to try and cash in on him.
With that in mind, if Manchester United were to come in with a suitable offer this summer, it may prove to be a relatively straightforward decision for the East Londoners to let Diouf go, and focus on replacing him with a more secure option.
West Ham in need of takeover to keep top stars
Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness told Football Insider back in March that West Ham may need a takeover to keep their best players at the club for next season.
The likes of Diouf, Mateus Fernandes, Jarrod Bowen and Mavropanos have all been subject to strong interest in recent weeks, and Wyness believes that the situation behind the scenes at the London Stadium is not helping matters.
He suggested that there are “severe financial issues” for the East Londoners at the moment, and it may need a change of ownership for the squad to be convinced that improvement is possible.
However, David Sullivan has seemingly been unmoved by the pressure that has been placed on his ownership of late, and that could put the writing on the wall for the some of the squad.
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