Ipswich, July 22 (IANS) Premier League club Ipswich has completed the signing of Morocco’s star Issa Diop from Fulham, with the central defender putting pen to paper on a four-year deal ahead of the new season.
Issa Diop will join Ipswich’s first team squad at their ongoing training camp in La Manga as he begins the next chapter of his career in English football.
Issa moves to Suffolk having represented Morocco at the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2026, playing in five of his country’s games at the tournament as they reached the last eight and scoring in their game with the Netherlands.
He brings significant experience at Premier League level, having featured in England’s top division on 173 occasions, firstly during his four-year spell with West Ham United before switching to Fulham in the summer of 2022.
“I’m excited to take the next step in my career at Ipswich Town. I know how big the club is and have enjoyed all of the conversations I have had before making the move. I know this is the right place for me,” Issa said in an official release by the club.
“It has been a busy summer for me, representing Morocco at the World Cup, but I am proud to be joining Ipswich Town and am looking forward to meeting the staff, my teammates and the supporters very soon,” he added.
Born in Toulouse, France, Issa came through the youth system in his home city and made his senior Toulouse debut as an 18-year-old in November 2018. He captained Toulouse the following year, aged just 20, before moving to West Ham in the summer of 2018 for a then club record fee.
He featured regularly for West Ham during his first season at the club, making 38 appearances, before being a regular figure under David Moyes as part of Hammers teams which finished sixth and seventh in the Premier League, while also reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League.
He made 119 appearances for West Ham, scoring eight goals, before moving to Fulham in 2022. His time at Craven Cottage saw him make 96 appearances during four campaigns at the club, before joining Town.
Before switching his allegiance to Morocco at senior level, Issa represented France at youth levels up to Under-21 and was a key member of the side that won the 2016 Under-19 European Championship, scoring in the final against Italy.
Qualifying through his mother, Issa was named in the Morocco squad for the first time in March 2026, making his debut in a friendly against Ecuador, before being named in the final squad for the World Cup.
He featured in group games against Brazil and Scotland in the group stage, before scoring against the Netherlands and then also starting the knockout games against Canada and France.
–IANS
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