Brentford sign Senegal left-back Malick Diouf from West Ham

The 21 year old is Brentford’s fifth signing of a big-spending summer, and arrives as the Bees make a flying start to the season

Brentford have completed the signing of Senegal international El Hadji Malick Diouf from West Ham United. The left-back has signed a five year contract, running until the summer of 2031, with the option of an additional year.

The transfer fee was not disclosed by either club, but is widely reported to be worth around £40m. West Ham signed Diouf from Slavia Prague for around £19m last July, so the sale looks to be a significant profit for the east London club after just one season.

It is Brentford’s fifth permanent signing of the summer, and their second most expensive after Mamadou Sangaré’s club-record £41m move from Lens.

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The club also brought in centre-back Jannik Schuster from Red Bull Salzburg (£17.2m), winger Jaidon Anthony from Burnley (£17m) and striker Callum Wilson on a free transfer, also from West Ham. Jordan Henderson left for Chelsea on a free, Frank Onyeka joined Coventry, and Ethan Pinnock was sold to Coventry for £5m.

Reported fees put this summer’s gross outlay at well over £110m, one of the highest in the club’s history.

Diouf strengthens a position Brentford have been short of cover in, with first-choice left-back Rico Henry having missed long spells over the past two seasons through injury.

Head coach Keith Andrews said: ‘He’s a player that fits our ideal age profile, with lots of room to still develop.’

Born in Dakar, Diouf began his career at Galaxy Football Academy and Académie Mawade Wade in Senegal, before joining Norwegian side Tromsø in February 2023. He moved to Slavia Prague in January 2024, helping the club win the Czech First League by 16 points in 2024/25, then joined West Ham last summer, making 32 Premier League appearances with five assists in 2025/26.

He is a full Senegal international, having made his debut against Burundi in September 2024. He played at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup, and started when Senegal beat England in June 2025.

The signing comes as Brentford look to build on last season’s ninth place finish, their best in the Premier League, when they missed out on Europe by a single point.

Brentford made a strong start, beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium on the opening weekend, and sit third in the table after one game.

Diouf said he had studied Brentford’s style of play before agreeing to join. ‘I watched them a lot last season. The team is very athletic and I have that profile as well, so I think I can adapt well to the team,’ he said. ‘They gave me a good plan for how I can develop, so I think it’s a good place for me to be.’