Arriving from Toulouse for £22.5m last summer, it didn’t take long for Issa Diop to win over both his manager and the London Stadium faithful.
The young defender started 33 of a potential 38 Premier League games this season, and played an integral part in West Ham’s top half finish, as they ended 10th with 52 points, two above 11th placed Watford.
Seeing the France U21 international prosper in England has been a great incentive for his former teammate Christopher Jullien, who spoke to France Football about his season and the success Diop found abroad.
He said: “I saw him again recently. He spoke to me about a lot of things, like his adventure, how things were over there. It’s true that it’s enticing and it makes you want it. We know the Prmeier League is a super impressive league. He’s convinced I’ll be joining him there soon (smiles), but, as I said, I’m still at Toulouse and we’ll see about the future.”
When asked to reveal a bit more about what Diop told him, the 26-year-old explained the young defender raved about how full the stadiums were, the incredible level of opposition and the type of football that was played.
He added: “There’s no denying, I think it’s one of the best in the world. I’ve never hid my desire to play in a great league to then be able to up my level and reach other objectives.”
While rumours surrounding a move to the Premier League have been quiet recently, Jullien was linked in the past, with clubs such as Newcastle and Southampton wanting the Toulouse defender last summer.
