‘A debut to forget’: £15m man has played just 11 mins since West Ham exit

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On a recent edition of the PlanetFPL podcast, focusing on Fulham’s impressive start to the new Premier League season, talk turned to Issa Diop. 

Specifically, whether the centre-back signed in a £15 million deal from London rivals West Ham United was an ‘unnecessary’ addition to Marco Silva’s squad. Now, the fact that such a question is being asked, just one month into Diop’s Craven Cottage career, is indicative of just how minimal the Frenchman’s impact has been. 

In four Premier League games, the former Toulouse captain has featured just once; an 11 minute cameo in August’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal. What’s more, his only start came in the 2-0 defeat to fourth-tier strugglers Crawley Town in the EFL Cup. A performance which earned him a dismal 2/10 from club site Fulhamish in their post-match player ratings. 

As first impressions go, it’s hard to imagine a worse one.

“My word, a debut to forget for our £15m signing,” the wrote of a man who struggled during West Ham’s nerve-shredding victory over non-league Kidderminster Harriers at the start of the year too.

“Looked completely out of his depth. Was ok-ish in possession, but some of his defending was comical, particularly the second goal. The only way is up?!” 

Issa Diop struggling at Fulham after West Ham United exit

When Diop arrived, he was expected to immediately take Tim Ream’s place in the starting XI.

But it’s a testament to Ream’s outstanding performances since returning to the top flight that Fulham’s second-most expensive summer acquisition – barring only the effervescent Joao Palhinha – now finds himself stuck behind a 34-year-old veteran in the Cottagers’ pecking order. 

Now, no one should be writing off Diop already. He is not the first big-money summer signing to be eased in slowly at his new club. See Casemiro at Manchester United, for instance. And, while his development plateaued somewhat at the London Stadium, there is clearly a talent in there somewhere.

Diop is still young at just 25. He has plenty of time on his side as he looks to add some much-needed consistency to his game. Ream will need the odd rest, too; the fixture list becoming increasingly gruelling prior to the Qatar World Cup.

But in a season full of positives, with Palhinha and Andreas Pereira shining, with Aleksandr Mitrovic silencing his critics, Diop’s slow start feels like a rare blot on Fulham’s copybook.