EXCLUSIVE Issa Diop for Mozzart Sport Kenya: Africa is a big part of me

All is good when you’re winning. Since making a $27.5milllion move from his hometown club Toulouse FC in 2018, Issa Diop has been making steady progress and has taken to the English game like a fish to the water. He’s enjoying football with high-flying West Ham United.

"We are happy with the way the season so far and we hope it’s going to be like that until the end of the season. In some games we were playing well but still we lost. We were very frustrated with that game but it shows that we can do even more. So, we look at the positives, the good things we’ve done in that match. It means that there’s room for improvement and we’ll do everything to maintain a high level from start to finish."

Issa Diop with West Ham United manager David Moyes (©AFP)

Manager David Moyes returned for his second spell in charge of West Ham and tuned out to be an inspired appointment. After years of struggling at the wrong end of the table, the Hammers are looking like a quality football team. Diop was a member of the team that finished 10th and 16th in the table in his first two seasons but, with the Scottish tactician in charge, things are looking up.

"He’s done a brilliant job. He gave us a lot of confidence and it had a huge impact. Also, we’ve had a full pre-season together and it helped us grow as a team. Not many people think about that but it’s really important for the squad. In the end, the biggest difference is that we’ve started to win regularly."

Having a manager who can get the team playing well is essential but it’s a lot easier with quality players. West Ham invested $60million in new players this season and it’s showing.

"The quality of Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek and Jesse Lingard, all the players who arrived gave us more quality and we’re lucky to have them with us."

There are nine matchdays remaining in the league. On paper, the Hammers haven’t got a particularly difficult set of fixtures until the end of the Premier League campaign but Issa knows that there simply aren’t easy matches in this competition.

"Every single game is different and is difficult. Sometimes it may seem easy when you’re playing some of the ‘smaller’ teams but it’s never easy. You have to fight for every ball of every match until the final whistle. We’re going to have nine battles and I hope we’re going to win most of them."

West Ham are currently fifth in the table with fourth-placed Chelsea just two points ahead. A strong end to the season would see the East London club qualify for the Champions League for the first time. However, it’s not something the players are talking about – even though it’s no secret that it would be an amazing achievement.

"I hope we can do it but we are not talking about targets every day. We don’t talk about the Champions League and Europe. We just want to enjoy, keep playing the way we’ve been playing, and win as many games as we can. We’ll see where it takes us at the end of the season."

Team spirit is high among the Hammers (©AFP)

Making a switch from any league to the Premier League takes some getting used to because of the vast differences in the style of play.

"For me, the game is much slower and more tactical in France. In England, there is much more intensity, more transition between attack and defence. Also, most of the best players in the world play in England. Whichever team you play, they’ve got fantastic players in each position. I’m happy with my individual development but I know that I can do a lot more. I’m still improving."

EXCLUSIVE Soucek for Mozzart Sport Kenya: We are going for three points at Old Trafford tonight

While he was still a youngster at his first club Toulouse FC, Issa tried to model himself after the likes of Vincent Kompany, Jerome Boateng, Kurt Zouma and Mamadou Sakho. These days, as a 24-year-old, Diop is just trying to be the best he possibly can. He labels Real Madrid’s captain Sergio Ramos as the best defender in the world.

"Ramos is the best because of his mentality and everything he brings to his team. If you compare the team with him to the team when he isn’t playing – the difference is huge. He’s won so many trophies."

Although one of the most physically imposing defenders, Diop doesn't think that it's essential for a defender. To him, it's more about reading the game and forming an understanding with your team-mates. The most important thing is the relationship you’ve got with your fellow defenders.

"You have to speak to them and know what the player next to you is going to do. It’s not so much about your physical ability."

Issa earned the captain's armband at his old club Toulouse (©AFP)

Issa’s grandfather Lybasse Diop was somewhat of a trailblazer. He was the first Senegalese ever to play football professionally in France when he signed for Girondins de Bordeaux in the 1970s. The young Hammer didn’t know his grandfather for a long period of time so he relied on his coaches at Toulouse and now in England to develop as a player. A son of a Senegalese father and a Moroccan mother, Issa Diop feels a strong connection to Africa despite the fact he was born in France.

"Africa is a big part of me. When I was younger, I used to spend every single summer in Senegal because half of my family is still there. It’s more difficult these days but it’s still important."

A smiling face of Issa Diop tells you all you need to know about any football team: it’s all good when you’re winning.

By NEVEN CVIJANOVIĆ, Sport Klub TV reporter