FlashFocus: Slavia star El Hadji Malick Diouf is on the radar of Premier League clubs
As soon as the name El Hadji Diouf is mentioned, Lens or Liverpool fans will surely take notice. That man became one of the best African footballers almost a quarter of a century ago. In Senegal, however, you'll come across Dioufs at every turn. Although Malick is not related to his famous compatriot, he is certainly not lacking in football skills.
Last winter he set off to try his luck in Europe at the age of 17. Instead of the typical route through France, he headed straight across the Arctic Circle from the football academy bearing the name of former Senegal national team coach Mawade Wade.
Tromso in Norway gave him the opportunity, and teammates who could speak French like him helped him adapt. Thanks to defender Christophe Psyche, forward Mai Traore from Guinea and Canadian goalkeeper Simon Thomas, he began to learn.
For Czech clubs, the Nordic countries have become an ideal environment to look for reinforcements. The reasons are simple: players who succeed in local teams are within their financial grasp and the harsh Nordic environment will also test the character of many of them.
Alexander Bah, now a Benfica player and Danish international, may have been one of the first to make his way from the north via Prague to big-time football. Diouf is another.
"Norway is a really cold country. In Tromso, it can be as low as minus 11. The league there is good and physically demanding. When I started my first game, I told my teammate and friend Chris that it's not easy here," Diouf recalled in an interview with Slavia's website.
On his debut, he was involved in the cup against Start Kristiansand. He then played another 29 games for the most northern league team in Europe, scoring against Rosenborg and Molde. As a result, he attracted the scouts of Slavia Prague.
At the beginning of this January, the left-footed wingback was already signing a contract in Prague, accompanied by his agent and his dad. A month later, he made his debut in the Czech league, in which he scored against Karvina. Immediately after the goal, he ran to thank the Slavia coach for the chance.
Jindrich Trpisovsky had a good feeling about the potential of the newcomer. Not only because he soon scored in the cup against Sparta, but because of his attributes.
The stocky, 182cm tall youngster with perfect physical condition started to become an all-action player on the left side of the pitch. More and more often he was able to assert himself in front of the opponent's goal.
That's why he was given more attacking assignments as time went on. From a defender, he became a midfielder.
Of course, everything didn't go as planned. When Diouf made his first-ever European appearance, he saw a red card after 26 minutes at AC Milan. As time went on, however, it became clear that the Seychellois had hit the jackpot with his signing.
In the typical three-at-the-back formation of Slavia, he is assigned to the left side of the midfield. During the first 10 rounds of the new season, he has scored five goals and assisted three more. The Prague team would surely be happy if he could do the same in the Europa League, where he hasn't scored or assisted yet.
The most expensive player from the Czech league?
What's rising is the price tag. The market value of the Senegalese talent is now at €7.1 million, which is almost triple the amount he came to Slavia for. And in Prague, they suspect that things may soon change.
Diouf's impressive 2024 in the red and white colours has logically kick-started the interest of scouts from all corners of Europe, and the most talked about interest is from English teams. Rumour has it that almost half of the Premier League have eyes on him.
While Slavia initially wanted to keep the youngster at the club for as long as possible, coach Trpisovsky has changed his thought process recently.
"Today I say that the more plus points he has, the better, because he will be more expensive when he leaves. But I dare to guess that if he keeps this form, he might be the most expensive transfer from the Czech league. He is a complex player and he adds huge quality and points," he gushed about the Senegalese international.
After all, this is exactly what the player himself dreamed of: "My agent told me that Abdallah Sima was in Slavia and gave me his number. I spoke to him and he told me that he had great memories of this club.
"He said that when you are young and come to Slavia you can become a great player and keep moving on. That is exactly my goal." The Senegalese midfielder did not hide the fact that Prague is only a temporary place and a transfer to a 'big' club is his plan.
Sima, a former player of English side Brighton, now a mainstay of Brest and also scorer of three goals in this season's Champions League, showed Diouf the way. He took the number 12 that Sima wore at Slavia and started working on himself - not only football-wise.
When he arrived in Prague, he didn't speak English and read the introductory text of the welcome video. But he now speaks the new language very well.
His engagement in Prague even catapulted him into the national team, where he made his debut in September. This also shows that Slavia is a club that is watched, and Diouf could easily become a mainstay of one of the best leagues in the world in the coming years.