For West Ham, this summer transfer window has been one of the most exciting for many years. Often associated with bringing through young talent and then selling them to a larger club for astronomical fees, the Hammers have brought in no less than nine players in total this time around.
However, in terms of the outgoings, there hasn’t been a lot of activity and as a result Big Sam now has strength in depth to cope with the demands of the Premier League. On the subject of demands, Allardyce was told to play a more attacking and attractive style of football this season, compare to the one dimensional, uninventive style he has a reputation for.
But whilst he has signed a number of players who have the ability to compliment a new style of play at the Boleyn Ground, there was one significant departure that can change a game in an instant – Mohamed Diame.
Signed on a free transfer from Wigan Athletic in 2012, the powerful midfielder went on to pastures new on transfer deadline day for £3.5m to Hull City. Considering that the Hammers got him on a free transfer, and exceeding £25m in player recruitment, a tidy profit was made for a player that has served the Upton Park outfit with great distinction.
The 27- year-old scored seven goals in 71 appearances for West Ham, where his most impressive performance was coming off the bench against Chelsea in his first season and putting the Hammers in the lead in a 3-1 victory at Upton Park. Now he is no longer at the club, it was inevitable that Diame would score on his Tigers debut against his former employers, and the goal showed what kind of player Diame is; powerful, strong, quick, and composed when in front of goal.
Yes, he did dip in form at the end of last season and was also quoted saying one day he would like to join a top six club. Therefore it was never in doubt that Allardyce will use these two excuses, aswell as making a profit on the player, in order to offload the Senegalese international.
The African Cup of Nations is slowly approaching in January, and maybe the former Bolton Wanderers gaffer couldn’t afford to lose a player for a month of the season. However, Allardyce replaced him with Alex Song, who will be jetting off to Morocco for four weeks at the turn of the year. Aswell as Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho joining Song for the tournement, it’s back to square one.
On and off the pitch, the former Wigan Athletic powerhouse has a presence about him, and whenever he has the ball at his feet, you know something is going to happen. Selling one of your own players who can make a difference in a matter of seconds is baffling. If West Ham were to have sold the likes of Joey O’Brien, Ricardo Vaz Te and even unpopular captain Kevin Nolan, surely you would have got more than the £3.5m you sold Diame for?
In the lead up to the much anticipated stadium move to Stratford, selling Diame could become costly. The Hammers have perfect replacements in the shape of Kouyate and Song, aswell as the ever present Mark Noble, but most fans would have liked to have seen more fringe players off the books than Diame, who could quite easily make a significant impact, not just for West Ham and Hull, but for any club.
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