‘Everyone’s got a price’ – Exclusive: McAvennie claims West Ham could sell Diop
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
Frank McAvennie believes West Ham will sell centre-back Issa Diop this month if a bid comes in and the price is right.
Diop, 24, has struggled for regular game-time at the London Stadium this season with the former Toulouse defender playing just five times in all competitions and starting only three Premier League fixtures.
He’s found himself below Angelo Ogbonna, Fabian Balbuena, Craig Dawson and even Aaron Cresswell in David Moyes’ centre-back pecking order.
Earlier this month, Hammers news website Claret & Hugh reported that Tottenham are weighing up a January bid for Diop with manager Jose Mourinho an admirer of the Frenchman.
Ex-West Ham striker McAvennie would understand why Diop would want to quit the London Stadium due to his standing in the Hammers’ squad.
“Dawson’s a good player, Ogbonna isn’t too bad at the moment and Balbuena, they’re three good centre-halves,” McAvennie told West Ham Zone.
“There are other ones in the team but Diop’s not in the team and he’s not going to sit about – he’s too good a player to sit about.
“I like the boy, I think he’s a good centre-half. But he’s not playing and he’s got to play.
“He’s too good to sit as the fourth-choice centre-half because there are three there now in front of him [in the pecking order]. It just shows you how things can change.
“If money comes in for Diop then they will sell if they think it’s the right price. Everyone’s got a price, unfortunately.”
We feel a bit sorry for Diop.
He became a regular part of Moyes’ defence in the second half of last season as West Ham secured Premier League survival but this term has seen the Scot prefer more experienced heads ahead of him.
Obviously, we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors and whether Diop is doing enough in training to impress Moyes but in his few appearances on the pitch, the Frenchman has struggled to deliver.
At the moment, it is hard to see how he could force his way above the likes of Ogbonna, Balbuena and Dawson in the pecking order while Cresswell’s performances as a left-sided centre-back in a back-three have been superb.
If someone does come in with an attractive bid then we’d understand why West Ham would accept it but we hope to see more out of the once-promising defender who seems to need a run of matches to get back to his best.
In other West Ham news, Ogbonna showed off his defensive might in the 1-0 win against Stockport on Monday.