Moyes must axe “rubbish” and “shocking” £104k-p/w duo, they’re holding West Ham back - opinion

West Ham United were harbouring hopes of an unlikely Europa League triumph and with a top-six Premier League finish not out of the question, a squad refresh this summer with a handful of players could be for the good of the club.

One such figure whose head should well be on the chopping block is 25-year-old centre-back Issa Diop, with the player’s form having fallen off a cliff since those heady days when he was once touted as a potential £45m target for Manchester United.

The Hammers held firm during that summer of 2019 to quash any reported interest, although they may well be wishing they had cashed in on the Frenchman at the time, such has been his declining form in recent times.

Once described as a “monster” by Jose Mourinho, the former Toulouse man – who arrived at the London Stadium on a then-club record deal worth £22m in 2018 – has endured a frustrating and injury-hit last two campaigns, making just 15 Premier League starts in the 2020/21 season, followed by just a further ten this term.

The arrival of former Chelsea man Kurt Zouma has not helped his cause, although when the former France U21 international has been on the pitch he has failed to take his chance, with his 6.69 average match rating, as per SofaScore, the sixth-worst among the current squad.

In his 13 league outings this term, he has made just 0.5 interceptions and 0.8 tackles per game, while he’s also won just 51% of his total duels and lost possession 5.8 times per match.

Such dismal form has seen him dubbed “shocking” by journalist Jack Rosser, while his decline has also been illustrated by his sharp drop in market value, with the £61k-per-week defender now valued at just £10.8m, having previously reached a peak of £31.5m as recently as December