West Ham have shattered their club record to pay more than £23million for new signing Issa Diop, according to co-owner David Gold.
The Hammers chairman revealed on his personal Twitter account on Wednesday morning the precise fee his club have shelled out to land their second summer capture.
West Ham sign France U-21 defender & Toulouse captain Issa Diop for £23m+ https://t.co/i68jQGXdVq via @YouTube
— David Gold (@davidgold) June 20, 2018
Gold’s revelation means the deal is more than £1million above what the English media, including the Evening Standard, reported on Tuesday night was the fee for the player.
OPINION
Given that the media normally exaggerate the fees for players rather than under-evaluate them, it is a surprise that West Ham chief Gold has revealed what is the real fee for Diop. Indeed, it is a record sum for the Hammers, although Marko Arnautovic’s transfer might eventually topple it if the performance-related add-ons are triggered in a deal that could eventually reach £24million. Nonetheless, the investment West Ham have made in the French defender, 21, is huge. Perhaps Gold wants to make that clear amid widespread criticism of the board from supporters in the last year. West Ham have underperformed in the market since the hallowed summer of 2015, when Dimitri Payet was the signing of the year and went on to reach rarified heights in his first season. Diop is a totally different kind of player, and the hope among fans is that he will be in it for the long haul rather than his countryman, who shone super brightly before losing his mojo ahead of a messy departure.
