I learned today that West Ham are keen to complete the transfer of El Hadji Diouf in addition to the recent transfer of Gary O’Neil and the loan of Demba Ba. While there are significant problems at West Ham, is this man really their answer?
First of all, can anyone think of a player they dislike more than El Hadji Diouf? If they can I would be pleased to know who…
West Ham have some problems, with plenty more bubbling under the surface. They have a lot of unfit players with more injuries seeming to crop up every week. This obviously weakens the strength and depth of their side. Secondly they have a lack of cohesion and morale. With rumours still circulating regarding Avram’s future things are hardly settled at Upton Park. Thirdly, and this is probably a combination of the previous two, they have not played well and are sitting at the foot of the league. They have not scored enough goals. They have been inconsistent and they have far too often not looked up for a scrap- this was epitomised at St James’ Park where they lost 5-0.
So let me now discuss the positives for West Ham in signing Diouf.
1) He is reportedly available on a free transfer. 2) He is fit and has not missed many games in his last few seasons at Blackburn Sunderland or Bolton because of injury. 3) He has over 8 seasons of Premier League experience under his belt. 4) He is versatile.
The basis of these points mainly point to the reason that he would give some depth and he could do a decent job. Fair enough.
But now let me demonstrate the negatives. Firstly, money does not seem to be a major issue for the Hammers, especially when considering the amount of money available for wages and potential stadium redevelopments.
Furthermore, his experience is not necessarily a good thing, and certainly does not work to his favour. He is more experienced in gamesmanship than he is in the school of professionalism. Everyone knows about his spitting, and about his initial plead of ‘not guilty’ on this front, despite camera evidence. And more recently he has been accused by Warnock of goading Jamie Mackie who had broken his leg. While this has not been proven, I would not be surprised to hear it is true. After all, he has a probably the worst reputation in the Premiership, and justifiably so.
Secondly, while he is an effective player I don’t see him being a first team regular at Upton Park. I have been impressed with Obinna this year, he has looked hungry for the ball and at times brilliantly creative. Additionally Carlton Cole is getting there, Piquionne has been good this year and Demba Ba is already a bit of a risk. O’Neil is the antithesis of Diouf; energetic, hard-working and enthusiastic. He is a much better option and more likely to provide them with some steel. I would choose to have Obinna on the left, O’Neil on the right and Cole/Ba and/or Piquionne up front.
So although he would give them some depth, which they need, he would not walk into the first team. Importantly, he certainly would not be happy to be a squad player and he is not the kind of player who you want to be unhappy. If he came, I could see him demanding high wages and just sitting on the bench without contributing an awful lot. He might be free but he is still a waste of money.
He is a time bomb and West Ham do not need that right now. They could take a risk in the desire of a short term impact but Diouf is not good enough to prove a wise risk. He is hardly a mercurial bad boy like Cantona or Balotelli, rather he is a just a bad bloke.
So while West Ham may be a sinking ship looking for a short term answer to keep them afloat, Diouf is not their life belt. He is more likely to blow create another hole and send them down.
