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Agent tried to get Diop to Tottenham this week

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The agent of new West Ham signing Issa Diop sensationally attempted to get his client a move to Tottenham earlier this week, according to a club insider.

Ex-WHU Employee, who is renowned for breaking Hammers stories before the mainstream media, revealed on the West Ham Way podcast broadcast on Phoenix FM on Tuesday night (29:24) that Diop’s representatives were hawking the player around London clubs as negotiations with West Ham took a late twist.

The Hammers were reluctant to pay the extra costs demanded as the player’s camp moved the goalposts and were fearful he was heading for Tottenham before terms were finally settled on a £23million transfer.

“Southampton and Everton were interested,” Ex-WHU Employee told the podcast. “The concern was yesterday (Monday) when his agent was playing hard ball that his agent was going to try to get him to Tottenham.

“That was the concern. I didn’t want to tweet that because it would have caused all sorts of controversy and I dread to think the reaction on Twitter.

“But yesterday I was fearful his agent was trying to get more money and was approaching Tottenham and possibly Fulham. And maybe Arsenal. He was trying to get clubs to pay the fee he wanted, and we managed to stop that and get him.”

OPINION

There would have been absolute ructions among Irons support had Spurs been successful in hijacking their deal for Diop. The antipathy between the two clubs, their boards and sets of supporters is barely any less than that which marks the bitter rivalry between Tottenham and Arsenal. West Ham worked on the Diop deal extensively before eventually settling terms late on Tuesday night, and would not have gone down well – to put it mildly – had the highly rated 21-year-old secured a last-gasp move to White Hart Lane. Eventually, new recruitment chief Mario Husillos and negotiator-in-chief David Sullivan were able to push the deal over the finish line but it sounds like there were plenty of hearts-in-mouth moments among the board before it was finally done. Good work, West Ham. They have signed a rising defensive star who has the potential to be one of Europe’s best over the next decade.

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