Arsene's admiration for Marvellous Momo

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has declared his admiration for West Ham midfield linchpin Momo Diame, a player his club has been consistently linked with throughout January as they looks to bolster their midfield. The north London outfit has been constantly linked with a move for the 25-year-old, who is believed to have a £3.5 million release clause written into his Hammers contract.

Diame has been one of the Hammers' star performers so far this term, notching two goals – including one against Arsenal– in his 18 appearances for Sam Allardyce's side.

Wenger has fuelled talk of a move for the powerful Senegal international, telling reporters: "He has a great presence in the games, I have seen him have a big impact."

The loss of Diame’s physical presence would weaken our line up considerably; watching the first game against Manchester United in the FA Cup that Diame was absent for through injury, our lack of strength in the midfield left us exposed many times to surging runs from the visitors’ midfield. Mark Noble and Joe Cole are talented players, but someone has to slow down the opposition and a Momo Diame-shaped hole in our midfield would present us with a huge problem.

By Neil Chatterton