Brentford have signed El Hadji Malick Diouf from West Ham in a deal that could reach £40m. The Senegal left-back has put pen to a five-year contract at the Gtech Community Stadium, with the club holding an option to extend it by another year.
The fee breaks down as an initial £35m plus £5m in add-ons. West Ham paid £19m for him only last year, which makes this one of the better bits of trading the Hammers have done in some time, even if losing him hurts.
The move that would not go away
Diouf was Brentford's priority defensive target for this window. Talks stalled earlier in the summer and looked dead for a while, then reopened this week and moved quickly.
The signs were there. Diouf played in West Ham's Championship opener against Burnley, then vanished from the matchday squad for the following two games while the clubs worked on terms. Players rarely disappear that abruptly for tactical reasons.
What Brentford are getting
He is 21, quick, and he defends better than his reputation for bombing forward suggests. He played four matches for Senegal at the World Cup this summer, which is a decent stress test for a full-back at that age.
Brentford have leaked goals from wide areas for two seasons. Spending this kind of money on a single defender is not typical of how they usually operate, and that tells you how highly they rate him.
West Ham's side of it
The Hammers are in the Championship and needed the money. Turning a £19m purchase into as much as £40m inside a year is good business on paper. Replacing what he gave them down the left is the harder part, and there is not much of the window left to do it.
Source: BBC Sport
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