Mohamed Diame: The signing of the season
A free signing for any team is often taken with a pinch of salt. A player that is brought in having been out of contract with their former club in order to bolster a weakened squad. On the rare occasion, however, a player is capable of really endearing himself to the fans before emerging as one of the divisions finest as the season wears on.
For West Ham United, that man has been Mohamed Diame. The Senegal international has been absolutely imperious for the Hammers since his arrival from Wigan Athletic over the summer, seeing his stock rise substantially as the weeks have turned into months.
It’s no shock to see the East London outfit nine points clear of the relegation zone following his move to Upton Park, with the 25-year-old pivotal to their current position in the table. In the recent 3-1 win over Chelsea, his input was felt particularly hard.
After starting the encounter on the substitutes bench, and seeing his West ham side lacking the necessary bite heading into the interval 1-0 down, Sam Allardyce sent the France-born midfielder into action and his impact was instantaneous, dragging his team by the scruff of the neck and all but guiding them to all three points.
Diame may be set for an extended spell on the sidelines, having pulled up with a hamstring problem during the recent defeat to Liverpool, but that may be enough to throw potential suitors off his scent, at least from the winter anyway.
Either way, however, despite interest from Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at the time, it’s safe assume that West Ham indeed managed to pull off the coup of the summer by bringing in the tough tackling, all action midfielder.
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