Mbaye Diagne fact file: Who is West Brom's new striker?
West Brom have signed Senegalese striker Mbaye Diagne on loan for the rest of the season - but who is he?
Here we take a look at the Galatasaray man, who has linked up with Albion for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign, to get a proper look at what he can bring to Sam Allardyce's team.
Factfile
Name: Mbaye Diagne
Age: 29
DOB: 28/10/1991
Nationality: Senegalese
Position: Striker
Height: 6' 4"
Previous clubs: Brandizzo, Bra, Juventus, Ajaccio (loan), Lierse (loan), Al-Shabab (loan), Westerlo (loan), Ujpest (loan), Tianjin TEDA, Kasimpasa, Galatasaray, Club Brugge (loan).
Career stats
Brandizzo - 30 appearances, 27 goals
Bra - 29 appearances, 23 goals
Juventus - 0 appearances, 0 goals
Ajaccio - 0 appearances, 0 goals
Lierse - 11 appearances, 7 goals
Al-Shabab - Two appearances, 0 goals
Westerlo - Nine appearances, two goals
Ujpest - 10 appearances, 11 goals
Kasimpasa - 34 appearances, 32 goals
Galatasaray - 35 appearances, 21 goals
Club Brugge - Eight appearances, 4 goals
What kind of player is Mbaye Diagne?
Albion fans got a good glimpse at the kind of player Diagne is during the 2-2 draw with Fulham.
The striker made a telling impact when he entered the fray at half time, quickly adding more energy up-front and providing a much needed focal point to start attacks when the team went long.
Diagne brings more of a physical presence than any other forward player in the Baggies' ranks, and given his track record, also promises goals too.
He set up Matheus Pereira's strike, showing he's not only there to score goals, but also create them.
His strengths lie in his finishing, aerial ability and link up play, although fans shouldn't expect him to be bombing up and down the pitch and aggressively pressing centre backs.
He'll also be an obvious set piece threat, and will help out defensively when opposing sides threaten from corners and free kicks too.
He's a fiery character, and a player Sam Allardyce will be hoping fires in the goals to help the Baggies survive this season.
The big question marks surround the striker off the pitch. He's bounced around a number of clubs and reports from his previous spells suggest that he has been involved in some controversies.
If Allardyce can get Diagne focused solely on scoring goals, he could be a top signing.
Will he suit Albion's style of play?
It's fair to say that Diagne seems the perfect fit for this Albion side, given the change of tact having brought Allardyce in.
His size, physical presence and clear aerial ability will make him a nightmare for opposing defenders, but will also provide the likes of Matheus Pereira, Robert Snodgrass and Grady Diangana a true target man to aim for from the flanks.
Defensively, he'll provide further assistance when dealing with balls into the box - and his goalscoring exploits for Galatasaray speak for themself.
Albion need goals, and Diagne has certainly provided them previously. If he settles in on the Premier League stage, there's no saying how well he'll do.
It's vital though, that the Baggies provide him with the service he'll need to make an impact.
What is Mbaye Diagne capable of?
Take a look at the video here to see how Mbaye Diagne has performed previously:
Mbaye Diagne in quotes
On joining West Brom:
"I’m very happy to be here at West Bromwich Albion.
"It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the Premier League.
"I have been working hard and the possibility came about to fulfil my dream.
"I’ll give my all.
"I have a lot of friends who play in the Premier League. Like I said before, it’s always been a dream to play here and I’m really excited to now have that chance.
"I will push and try my hardest to make the West Bromwich Albion fans happy."
On scoring goals:
"I managed to score lots of goals for Galatasaray. I know the Turkish league and I have scored lots of goals in it. I’m very happy to have that record.
"I was confident that I was going to score in every game and we were going to win.
"But this is the Premier League League and it is another level. A step up.
"I want to achieve the same results and I want to keep scoring goals.
"I’m confident I can score goals here. This is me. I need to score and I need to help the team.
"If I can score goals, I can help the team. I want to help us stay in the Premier League."
On former Kasimpasa teammate Trezeguet and playing in England:
“We talk regularly and he keeps saying I would thrive in England.
"I’m big and strong, I can hold up the ball and lay it off, I’m good in the air and I’m a finisher.
"All I know is that, whether at Galatasaray or somewhere else, I am eager to get back playing and scoring again."
On his time at Galatasaray and whether he would play for them again, last year:
"I’m very happy to play for them but I don’t know if they intend keeping me. I haven’t spoken to them yet."
"Some people say they need to get some big earners off the payroll but I don’t know who that means. If they decide they need to sell me, then I’m sure I’ll find somewhere that suits my style."
On his controversial penalty miss for Club Brugge, having taken the spot kick ahead of the assigned penalty taker:
“I shouldn’t have taken the penalty."
"But I was so fired up to help the team when I went on that, when I won it, I thought I had to take it to get the goal I had been asked to get. It was just the adrenaline and the determination to help.
"I apologised to the players and the manager but I was banished.
"I came in and trained my hardest every day but was never called for the matchday squads. He was picking players ahead of me whom I respected but who, honestly, weren’t at the same level as me.
“After a while I went to the manager and asked what was going on and he just said: ‘I make the decisions, I’m the boss.’ After that he just ignored me.
"For my last three months at Brugge he didn’t say a word to me, not so much as a ‘hello’. I think he never wanted me in the first place. It was other people at the club who had persuaded me to go there. I think he took advantage of my penalty miss to make a point."
On why Galatasaray were willing to loan him out last season:
"I was very confused. We had won both the Championship and the Cup and we didn't expect anything like this. However, these situations occur in the world of football.
"Galatasaray signed a new number nine and it was important for me to play. However, I found that I was no longer essential. So I decided to move to Brugge FC because the club qualified for the UEFA Champions League."
