West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed he will not be signing El Hadji Diouf.
Allardyce concerned about lack of fitness and 'bad-boy' image
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed he will not be signing El Hadji Diouf.
The Senegalese had been on trial with the Championship side in a bid to win a contract after having his deal terminated at Blackburn in the summer.
But having previously signed Diouf while boss of Bolton and Blackburn, Allardyce has decided against offering the former Liverpool player a contract for a third time.
The Hammers said on their official
twitter feed: "Sam Allardyce has confirmed that El Hadji Diouf will not be signing for West Ham United."
Allardyce had been searching for a 'missing link' in his squad as he bids to guide the Hammers to an immediate return to the Premier League.
But Diouf, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Rangers, will not be staying at Upton Park due to a lack of fitness and fears over a 'bad-boy' image.
Future
Allardyce said in his
Evening Standard column on Friday: "Everyone seems to be aware that we've had El Hadji Diouf training with us, but I've decided today not to offer him a short-term contract.
"We've had a good look at him over the past few days, but because he's had no real football for some time his conditioning wasn't good.
"With that in mind and the possibility that some of our injured players will be hopefully have recovered in the not too distant future, we won't be looking at a deal.
"Obviously I had to bear in mind the situation at the club with the fans. It was sensible to take everything into consideration and the most important thing is we are going pretty well at the moment and there shouldn't be any distractions.
"The sensible thing to do always is to consider all the possible consequences and then make the decision.
"He's a good player and he did well for me at Bolton, but I'm aware of the issue with the fans here at West Ham.
"There's always been so-called 'bad boys' in football - Eric Cantona is just one that springs to mind - but it's not for me to criticise any West Ham supporter for having a stance on this. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect that."
