West Ham United dipped into the summer transfer market earlier this week with the capture of El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague.
The Senegalese left-back has signed for a fee in the region of £19m, joining Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek as players who have previously transferred from the Czech club.
Now, let’s take a closer look at Diouf’s Fantasy potential.
THE QUOTES
“We are very pleased to welcome El Hadji Malick to West Ham United. He is a young player we have been watching for some time, and somebody that we believe can be a really good fit for what we are trying to build at the club. He has shown tremendous strength of character and maturity at such a young age – leaving his home in Senegal to move to Norway at 18, and then moving on to Prague – and his performances have been at a consistently high level for some time now.
“He has made some terrific progress so far with his clubs and with the Senegal national team, and we are looking forward to welcoming him into the squad and working with him to continue that progress. The Premier League will be a big challenge for El Hadji Malick, but I can tell that he is really excited by it and determined to make a good impact at the club and on our supporters. He is young, hungry and ambitious, and I think he will be a very positive addition to the group.” – Graham Potter
THE HISTORY + STATS
| Season | Club | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | Slavia Prague | 24 | 7 | 3 |
| 2023/24 | Slavia Prague | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022/23 | Tromso | 15 | 3 | 1 |
*League only
Diouf, who is only 20 years old, has already achieved a great deal in his short career, which started at the Galaxy Football Academy in his native Senegal.
At just 18, he made the journey to Norway to join Eliteserien outfit Tromso.
During his only season with the club, Diouf made 21 appearances across all competitions, scored three goals, provided one assist and helped Tromso qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Importantly, it was during this period that he established himself as a wing-back, after primarily playing as a winger throughout his youth career.
However, merely one year later, Diouf was on the move again, this time signing for Slavia Prague, where he played a key role in the club’s title victory last season, netting an eye-catching seven open-play goals.
He also participated in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers and UEFA Europa League group stage.
Diouf has represented Senegal on four occasions, including the 3-1 victory over England in June.
PROFILE / THE UNDERLYING NUMBERS
Diouf is an attack-minded left-back who is equally comfortable playing further forward as a wing-back.
His main attributes are his pace and crossing ability.
In the Czech top-flight last season, Diouf averaged 0.16 expected assists (xA) per 90 minutes.
For context, that is level with Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro in 2024/25 and significantly higher than Aaron Wan-Bissaka (0.09), even from Graham Potter’s appointment onwards.
He also registered 38 league shots, with 18 of those efforts hitting the target.
As shown below, Diouf regularly pops up in threatening positions inside the opposition box.
Above: El Hadji Malick Diouf’s season heatmap in 2024/25 (Czech First League only), via Sofascore
WHERE DOES DIOUF FIT IN AT WEST HAM?
Acquiring a left-back was a priority for Potter this summer, with Emerson Palmieri’s future unclear and Ollie Scarles still in the development stage.
Aaron Cresswell and Coufal have departed, too, creating an opportunity for Diouf to secure a regular starting spot.
Last season, Potter frequently switched between a 4-2-3-1 formation and a back three with wing-backs, typically preferring the latter during away matches, providing additional grounds for optimism.
IS DIOUF WORTH BUYING IN FPL?
Diouf should be a very decent fit as a full-back and wing-back under Potter.
Given his goal threat and assist potential, there is no doubt he looks like an intriguing option for Fantasy managers, particularly if he’s priced up at £4.5m.
Of course, the Czech First League is not the strongest division, but it is worth noting that both Coufal and Soucek were able to adapt quickly.
Diouf is clearly a talent, albeit a raw one, making him a player to keep an eye on for now.
Should he demonstrate enough potential, there is a favourable fixture run to target in Gameweek 8.
Diouf’s crossing ability could also benefit other West Ham assets such as Jarrod Bowen, Soucek and Niclas Fullkrug, which is something to monitor in pre-season.
The 20-year-old is expected to join the Irons’ pre-season training camp in Germany this week.
