WHZ View: Diop must take his chance in West Ham clash v Stockport
West Ham United defender Issa Diop could get a rare start in the FA Cup on Monday night against Stockport.
Against non-league opposition, David Moyes is likely to make a number of changes to his squad, keeping one eye on the club’s Premier League form.
One man who could come into the team is Diop, who has been out of the first-team picture in the Premier League in recent weeks.
Since the 2-1 defeat away to Arsenal all the way back in September, Diop has only made two Premier League appearances.
The lack of involvement for the Frenchman has resulted in rumours about his long-term future at the London Stadium, especially with Craig Dawson now seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order.
Tottenham are among the teams who have been linked in recent days and weeks and while it is claimed that the Hammers have no intention of selling, there are certainly question marks surrounding his future.
The Stockport meeting is a great opportunity for Diop to send a reminder to Moyes that he can play some part in the second half of the Premier League campaign.
Diop has failed to impress when given the chance this season, with a WhoScored match rating of just 6.40 from his four Premier League appearances – only Andriy Yarmolenko and Mark Noble rank lower.
The former Toulouse defender will still feel like he has more to give at the London Stadium after an impressive campaign last season.
As per Wyscout, Diop ranked inside the top 15 for the total number of interceptions and successful aerial duels in his own penalty area out of every player across the entire Premier League last season.
It has not been all bad for Diop this time around in the Premier League either.
The defender has a pass success rate of nearly 93 per cent and per 90 minutes, he only loses possession of the ball twice.
Clearly, he is a defender comfortable on the ball and they are not exactly easy to come by in the modern transfer market.
Which would make it a surprising decision for the club to let Diop leave in the summer, but he will be fully aware that he needs to force his way back into the West Ham team soon.
At the age of 24, falling further and further down the pecking order at the London Stadium is unlikely to rank very highly in his career plans.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers cannot afford to not replace Haller after Moyes transfer admission