A couple of weeks ago, we covered a tweet from French journalist Raphael Perry, who claimed both West Ham and Newcastle had sent scouts to watch Bordeaux-Toulouse in Ligue 1.
While their targets weren’t revealed, we speculated who the two clubs could have been keeping an eye on, and it appears one of our suggestions, Issa Diop, was correct.
Following the departure of James Collins, West Ham will be on the lookout for a new centre-back, and according to L’Equipe on Tuesday, the Hammers sent scouts to watch the Toulouse centre-back in action last season.
All of that will have taken place under David Moyes, and the arrival of Manuel Pellegrini and his reported Arsène Wenger role at London Stadium could change things, but why should it?
The 21-year-old is already his club’s captain, and he’s amassed a great deal of first-team experience over the three years.
L’Equipe explain the young defender knows he will need to move to another club to continue his progression as a footballer, and a club like West Ham could be the ideal spot for him.
Everton and Crystal Palace are also reported as interested, which could make things interesting if all three come forward with offers.
