West Ham United: Cryptic Billy McKinlay response could mean Issa Diop exit is close
Billy McKinlay’s latest comments could have dropped a hint on the future of Issa Diop as the defender continues to be linked with a move away from West Ham.
The Athletic revealed (7 July) that Fulham have made a second offer for the defender thought to be in the region of £12million plus add-ons.
However, Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth suggested on 20 July (via Twitter) that the Hammers are unlikely to allow the defender to leave the club until they’ve learnt the full extent of Nayef Aguerd’s injury, which was sustained in the Irons’ preseason fixture against Rangers.
Although, after assistant manager McKinlay’s latest comments, his London Stadium departure could be close.
Talking to Sky Sports (23 July) after the Hammers’ 1-1 preseason draw against Luton Town, he said: “Err, Issa, Issa was unavailable.
“Lukasz played during the week and ‘Phonse (Areola) was needing a game.
“So nothing, really, to add to it other than that.”
Exit now likely
It does feel as if Diop’s time at the London Stadium has reached its natural conclusion after joining the club in 2018, and this non-answer from McKinlay suggests the absence was down to something they don’t want to come out just yet.
Although, Moyes would be foolish to sanction his exit whilst new signing Aguerd is still unavailable as the Moroccan’s injury is a huge blow after his summer move from Rennes.
Despite seeing his career stall somewhat, Diop is still a good option for Moyes to have at his disposal for situations such as this.
The priority for the manager this summer was to bolster his backline after West Ham’s disappointing end to the 2021/22 campaign, with too many soft goals being conceded.
Aguerd returning before the transfer window slams shut would be ideal, with the club clearly keen to offload Diop.
Moving the 25-year-old off the wage bill could well give Moyes some wriggle room in the transfer market.
If West Ham can land a striker, left-back and potentially another central midfielder then it would have been a successful window at the London Stadium.
The Hammers look to have sorted their shortage of strikers with Gianluca Scamacca very close to making the move to the Premier League.