Last weekend, former West Ham United winger Grady Diangana played his first game in one of Europe’s so-called ‘top-five’ leagues since sealing his contentious departure from the Premier League outfit five years ago.
It has been a long time in coming.
In fact, it had actually been six years since Grady Diangana last featured in a top-flight match.
Before embarking upon the Hawthorns loan spell which convinced West Bromwich Albion to stump up an eye-watering fee – West Ham banked £20 million in a sale which would soon prove to be outstanding business from a Hammers perspective – Diangana played 17 times on the Premier League stage.
His last being a 3-0 win over Southampton in April 2019.
A game in which Marko Arnautovic and Ryan Fredericks found the net for West Ham United, and Jack Wilshere, Carlos Sanchez and Lucas Perez stepped off the subs bench.
A colossal 79 months later, Diangana is back playing at a first division standard with La Liga matches against Barcelona and Real Madrid to come before Christmas.
Former West Ham United starlet Grady Diangana makes La Liga debut with Elche
While Grady Diangana was linked with Valencia after his West Brom contract expired in July, the now-27-year-old winger settled instead for a smaller, less glamorous but certainly less high-maintenance La Liga outfit.
He joined newly-promoted Elche as a free-agent, on a two-year deal.
And after featuring in the matchday squad for the first time during the 2-2 draw with Sevilla earlier this month, Diangana stepped onto Spanish soil for his Elche debut during the final 20 minutes of Saturday’s 1-0 win over Real Oviedo.
“The game in general was great game for the team, and by Grady,” head coach Eder Sarabia beamed after quick-starters Elche moved to within two points of the Champions League places.
“In the case of Grady, who is not known to the public in general too much, I think that he is going to surprise us and will give us a lot of joy.”
Diangana’s end product might often have let him down at West Brom – he averaged only four goals and 3.6 assists per season during six years at the Hawthorns – but highlight reel moments were never in short supply.
Diangana joins Pablo Fornals and Toni Martinez in Spanish football
Tony Mowbray confirmed West Brom’s plan to move on from Diangana shortly before his sacking in late-April. Mowbray had planned to introduce a more solid, out-of-possession approach.
And, while the veteran manager was eventually replaced by Ryan Mason prior to Diangana becoming a free-agent, the DR Congo international’s reported £25,000-a-week wages were presumably the final straw for a club who have endured their fair share of financial hardship in recent times.
Diangana is not the only former Hammer playing La Liga football this season.
Pablo Fornals popped up to rescue Manuel Pellegrini and Real Betis at Levante before scoring again in Friday night’s statement 3-1 win over Real Sociedad. One-time West Ham starlet Toni Martinez scored his 51st goal since leaving East London, meanwhile, during the 2-1 victory over Levante on the opening weekend.
