Fresh from his Premier League debut against Sunderland on the opening weekend, El Hadji Malick Diouf is relishing the prospect of making his first-ever home Premier League start when West Ham United welcome Chelsea to London Stadium on Friday for the first London derby of the 2025/26 season.
The Senegalese defender, who was denied a goal on his competitive debut when an outstretched Dan Ballard blocked his powerful, goal-bound strike from the edge of the box, put in an assured performance at the Stadium of Light and looked right at home in Claret and Blue.
The left-sided full-back or wing-back frequently mentions the atmosphere at West Ham being ‘brilliant’ in an interview with the Official Programme, and his bubbly personality lends itself to the environment.
While he has been enjoying some light-hearted moments, it’s clear that he is also focused on winning and following in the footsteps of his personal hero, Cheikhou Kouyaté.
The atmosphere under the lights at London Stadium is set to be exceptional, and our No12 believes the visit of Enzo Maresca’s side provides the perfect opportunity to put the disappointment of our first defeat of the season behind us…
“I’m very happy with the start I’ve made to life at West Ham, but I’m always looking to be even better,” said Diouf.
“I have been working hard ever since I can remember to get the opportunity of playing in the Premier League.
“I think it is a dream for every young footballer in Senegal to come here and play in the Premier League, and when they are here, they want to make everything good, and I’m no different.
“It’s the best league in the world, and so many Senegalese players that I’ve looked up to have come here and made good careers, and to be the next player to achieve this is an incredible feeling.
“The away fans were brilliant too, as they were at London Stadium against LOSC Lille, and you see how they want to push us, and I think their support will help push us in the right direction this season.
“It’s been a very good first month in east London, and the environment in the dressing room is brilliant. I want to joke with everyone, so it’s going well.
“We have the good feeling, and on the pitch we are working, not only for ourselves, but for the team, which I think is very important, and we are ready to have a positive Premier League season.
“I want to say I have a good relationship with everyone in the squad, especially Nayef [Aguerd], Alphonse [Areola] and Maxwel [Cornet], but I love everybody.
“He (Graham Potter) is a fantastic man, and I am really happy to have him as my coach. I think he can help me a lot in my career because he’s helped develop so many players to a very high level, and you can see that within the squad just now.
“I think it’s a really good place for me right now.”
Also in the interview, our new No12 tells the tale of how he grew up playing football in the streets of Dakar, Senegal, his meteoric sporting rise via Norwegian top-flight club Tromsø IL, 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and Czech giants SK Slavia Prague, and how he was already well aware that West Ham scouts were in attendance watching him at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground in June 2025, having received a tip-off from ex-Hammer and one of his childhood heroes, Kouyaté.
You can hear more from Diouf in our 132-page Chelsea Official Programme, which is available to buy around the ground before kick-off, still at just £4 per issue, or online HERE.
