Malick Diouf set for true litmus test at West Ham as Bournemouth clash looms
El Hadji Malick Diouf has had a mixed spell since signing for West Ham in the summer.
The Senegal international joined the Hammers as a largely unknown quantity, having moved from Slavia Prague.
He took to life well in the Premier League, but hasn’t covered himself in glory in some claret-and-blue outings recently.
His spell at the Africa Cup of Nations certainly hasn’t benefited his time at the London Stadium, but he has started to feature more regularly under Nuno Espirito Santo in recent weeks.
The Irons are now preparing for a clash against Bournemouth, and there will be questions over Diouf’s place in the side, but it could prove to be a sink-or-swim moment for the full-back.
Malick Diouf set to face off with Rayan at Bournemouth
The summer signing has always looked electric down the flank when going forward in East London and has caused problems regularly.
His average of 0.6 crosses and 0.6 chances created per 90 this season sums that up, but his defensive numbers haven’t necessarily followed suit.
His 1.37 tackles per game rank him in the bottom 14.3 per cent for Premier League full-backs, which obviously isn’t good enough.
That will be something which Bournemouth’s January signing, Rayan, will be looking at and licking his lips.
The Brazilian already has two goals for the Cherries and looked dangerous as he netted against Everton in his last outing.
He took three shots on Merseyside and created two chances, something which could cause big problems for West Ham.
The winger will ultimately be Diouf’s problem if he starts for the Irons, and will represent a test of where his defensive qualities are.
West Ham have big call to make on Diouf
The 21-year-old could go on to be one of the brightest full-back prospects in the world at some point, but the London Stadium can’t carry passengers right now.
With just 12 Premier League games remaining, he needs to show his class now, but whether Nuno gives him that chance is a different question.
Rayan will represent a concern in E20 with his excellent start to life on the south coast, especially up against Diouf, based on his defensive struggles.
It will be interesting to see if the Senegalese ace gets his chance and is given the opportunity to prove himself.
If not, the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters and Ollie Scarles will be waiting in the wings to potentially take their chance in claret and blue.