Both Chelsea and Tottenham have been linked with a move for West Ham defender Issa Diop.
The 22-year-old has been a regular under both Manuel Pellegrini and David Moyes this season, making 18 appearances in all competitions.
His consistent displays reportedly made him Frank Lampard’s top defensive target this month.
However, the French defender has now addressed the recent speculation regarding a move away from the London Stadium.
Talking to Foot Mercato, cited by the Daily Express, Diop confirmed he is not in negotiations with any side and doesn’t ‘want to know which club is interested’ in his services.
It doesn’t make me hot or cold.
I’m not in negotiations, I don’t want to know which club is interested in me.
So for me, it doesn’t really change anything.
Most of the time, they are friends who send me screenshots to tell me: “Issa is watching”. I don’t even know first.
Then it’s the transfer window, there are things that are true, others that are false.
Read West Ham verdict
Diop’s comments, to us, are a major boost for the club in the long run.
West Ham paid a then club-record £22m fee for his services back in June 2018, and it’s easy to forget that he’s still just 23 years of age.
With 18 months of Premier League experience now under his belt, we feel that Diop now has the ability to push on and cement his place in the Hammers backline for several years.
Selling the Frenchman for a profit could be viewed by some as a good piece of business, however, we feel that the Hammers would be taking a backwards step if they parted ways with the defender.
It would leave the club on the search for a new centre-back, and there’s no guarantee they’d be able to bring in a player similar to Diop for a cheaper price.
We’re happy to see that the player seemingly has no intentions of a London Stadium exit, and hopefully, the recent rumours can now be put to bed.
