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West Ham surprises: Diouf and Fernandes conquer the Premier League!
West Ham United signed El Hadji Diouf and Mateus Fernandes in the summer of 2025, whose transfers reveal their recruitment methods.
West Ham surprises: Diouf and Fernandes conquer the Premier League!
In the summer transfer window, West Ham United unveiled two exciting new signings: El Hadji Malick Diouf and Mateus Fernandes. Both players come into the team with a lot of fresh air. While Diouf was hardly a household name before his move, he has gained attention through impressive performances for Senegal, particularly against England. Well done, that's all you can say!
Mateus Fernandes, on the other hand, was previously known as a promising talent for Southampton before the team was relegated from the Premier League. The expectations for both players are high, and so far they have clearly exceeded them. Diouf in particular is already being considered a potentially world-class player. At just 20 years old, he has what it takes to cause real problems for opposing right-backs.
A breath of fresh air from Bremen
Max Hahn, the head of technical recruitment and analysis at West Ham, is behind these transfers. Hahn, who recently arrived from Werder Bremen, has proven to be a key figure in this transfer window. Before him, there was a lot of talk about Kyle Macaulay and Graham Potter as key players, but Hahn is now taking the helm. Some may wonder whether we are witnessing real change at the club.
The discussion about responsibility will probably also play a role in future transfers. West Ham had to pay Chelsea £1 million in compensation to sign Macaulay. A move that paid off financially considering the performances of Diouf and Fernandes.
Diouf's impressive career
Diouf, a 20-year-old left-back, shows that talent can develop quickly. He came to Tromsø, Norway from Senegal to train for a trial. He reached the city on a frosty night and had to get used to the cold temperatures. After a successful trial period, he signed a professional contract and played 21 games in his first ten months, netting three times and providing one assist. Compared to other talents, he is definitely outstanding, as the previous assists for West Ham before his 21st birthday are evidence of his great potential.
With his first three assists from the first six Premier League games, Diouf has already achieved the most assists by a defender in Europe's top five leagues. Only the likes of Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe and Frank Lampard have achieved more. His style of play has even been compared to David Beckham, which for a right winger means that he can also hit crosses excellently.
A look at the transfer market
As is well known, the transfer market not only offers exciting stories, but also enormous sums of money. Transfer fees vary greatly and only a few clubs are able to spend three-digit millions on them, as the example of Neymar shows, who moved for 222 million euros. In the Premier League, spending on transfers in the 2024/2025 season will amount to around 2.8 billion euros. West Ham can assert itself in this market and shows that high investments do not always guarantee sporting success.
Overall, it remains to be seen how the transfers of Diouf and Fernandes will affect the team in the long term. However, the first steps on the pitch promise a lot and arouse anticipation for the next games.
So for all West Ham fans it means: There could be exciting times ahead!