West Ham United have announced the signing of Senegal international El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague.

The 20-year-old left-sided full-back or wing-back has signed a long-term contract at the London Stadium and will wear the No.12 shirt for the Hammers.

Diouf joins West Ham for an initial fee believed to be £19m and becomes Graham Potter’s first permanent signing as the club’s head coach since his arrival in January.

“I’m really happy to be here and to make a progression for my career,” Diouf told West Ham official website. “I’m looking forward to working hard and joining my new teammates.

“There were a lot of teams [who wanted to sign me], but I chose West Ham United first and I spoke with the coach [Graham Potter] and it was a good plan for me.

He's here, he's a Hammer ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/3uepZaCExD

— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 15, 2025

Diouf chose West Ham despite interest from “lots of teams”

“Everyone wants to come here to play in the Premier League. I think it is a dream for everyone. When they are here, they want to make everything good. I think they also have the personality to play here and if you are young, you want to continue your progression.

“If you are young, you have to keep your personality. It’s about the team. The most important thing is the team, not the player. I want to say to the West Ham supporters I’m very happy to be here with them. I think we’ll make a very good season this year.”

Potter added: “We are very pleased to welcome El Hadji Malick to West Ham United. He is a young player we have been watching for some time, and somebody that we believe can be a really good fit for what we are trying to build at the club.

“He has shown tremendous strength of character and maturity at such a young age - leaving his home in Senegal to move to Norway at 18, and then moving on to Prague - and his performances have been at a consistently high level for some time now.

“He has made some terrific progress so far with his clubs and with the Senegal national team, and we are looking forward to welcoming him into the squad and working with him to continue that progress.

“The Premier League will be a big challenge for El Hadji Malick, but I can tell that he is really excited by it and determined to make a good impact at the club and on our supporters. He is young, hungry and ambitious, and I think he will be a very positive addition to the group.”

Prague to East London ? pic.twitter.com/JpjxwrL9Dx

— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 15, 2025

Who is West Ham’s new signing Diouf?

Diouf - who is not related to the former Liverpool forward with a similar name - was born in Senegal and began his career in his homeland at the Academie Mawade Wade academy, before moving to Norway to join Tromso in February 2023.

After impressing across 21 appearances during the second half of the season, Diouf was snapped up by Slavia Prague for around £2.5m in January last year, and went on to establish himself as an important first-team player.

The left-sided youngster contributed with seven goals and three assists in 24 league appearances for a Slavia Prague side who conceded just 18 goals as they cruised to the First League title, winning by an impressive 16-point margin.

Diouf gained Champions League experience with Slavia Prague, while he has also earned four international caps for Senegal and played the full 90 minutes in their memorable 3-1 friendly win over England in June.

West Ham identified Diouf as a top target to fill the left-back void left by club legend Aaron Cresswell, who departed the London Stadium upon the expiration of his contract at the end of last month.