Well it is silly season, so all sorts of reports will appear as journo's struggle to fill their columns, but the Mirror's insistence that French International Issa Diop has 'stated' that he would like to leave West Ham United is just a story too far. Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the French language will have noticed that Diop's interview, conducted in french, was given to L'Equipe and was a lengthy one, during which the player actually said that he did not see West Ham as a stepping stone, more like a 'step up the ladder' to full scale participation with the French National team!
Someone obviously needs to either get a new translator app, or use a dictionary, they should not rely on Google translator as it is invariably inaccurate, especially with regards to the nuances of a language. After a 'tricky' start under David Moyes, Diop firmly established himself as 'numero uno' defender having learned from a few errors, it is easy to forget, because of his sheer physical presence, that 6'4" Diop is only just 23 years old and is constantly learning.
Hammers spent around £22 Million on acquiring Diop from Tolouse, since his arrival he has been 'coveted' by several Barclays Premier League managers including Tottenham supremo Jose Mourinho, who while he was managing Manchester United described Diop as a beast and commended 'who ever' found him. Neither Tottenham nor Manchester United are positioned to make an offer that could 'blow' the deal out of the water, in fact there is a William Hill bonus offer that is offering intersting odds on how these 'busted flush' clubs will progress.
Everton are apparently the latest suitors for Diop's services, Carlo Ancelotti being an admirer of the defender since his time at Napoli, and as everyone knows Everton are 'minted', if you will excuse the pun. I would take an absolutely enormous bid for David Moyes to part with Issa Diop, West Ham would expect to triple their outlay and not countenance bids of less than £60 Million, and even at that price he may be undervalued!
It is not that often that West Ham have a highly sought after young player, in their prime, on a long contract, and although there might be tempting offers on the table, parting company with such a prodigious talent would be a folly of the highest order. It can take years to make a team, it can take moments to break one!
Diop is part of the club's future, and fits David Moyes' template perfectly, young fit and hungry. - Ed
