SINK OR SWIM FOR PIRANHA TARGET PUEL
MANUEL PELLEGRINI has given West Ham kid Grady Diangana a huge boost by comparing him to a teenage Santi Cazorla.
Diangana, 20, has forced his way into Pellegrini’s plans despite the club’s £100million summer spending spree.
And the right-sided midfielder – who arrived at Upton Park at the age of 12 – is in line to make his first Premier League start at Leicester today.
Hammers boss Pellegrini (right) has made it clear he expects Diangana to make an impact this season – and has drawn parallels with his first encounter with former Arsenal and Spain star Cazorla at Villarreal.
The Chilean said: “I have worked with so many young players, but when I arrived at Villarreal I was very impressed with Santi Cazorla.
“He was a 19-year-old with the Under-21s, but not the first-team squad.
“And in that moment he maybe wasn’t considered a top player.
“But when I saw him play I think that he was, maybe not exactly the same as Diangana, but a technical player with a good view of the pitch and with a good solution when receiving the ball.”
Diangana was rewarded with a place on the bench against Manchester United after scoring twice on his senior debut in the 8-0 Carabao Cup thrashing of Macclesfield.
He replaced Andriy Yarmolenko when the Ukraine winger suffered a season-ending achilles injury against Tottenham last week.
Now the Congo-born prospect, raised in London from the age of four, is likely to get the nod ahead of the experienced Michail Antonio today.
Pellegrini added: “For me, one of the most important things for a player is when you have the ball you give it to a player in the same colour shirt
– and that is why I trust Diangana.
“That is the basic thing for a player and Diangana always starts with that.
“He loses very few balls during the game.
“I think that in this season he will be a player in the first-team squad playing a lot of games.” CLAUDE PUEL insists Leicester are seeing the benefit of not sacking him – but admits the “piranhas” could soon return.
Foxes boss Puel survived the axe last summer, despite finishing with five defeats in seven games.
The Frenchman (above) described the Premier League as a “piranha club” amid a clamour from unhappy fans for his exit.
Now grumblings are starting to be heard again after successive defeats ahead of West Ham’s visit today.
But Puel, in charge a year, insisted: “I think the club take the right direction.
“Look at the recruitment and the extension of all the contracts since the beginning of the season.
“It is fantastic to keep Harry Maguire, Kasper Schmeichel, Wilfred Ndidi and Ben Chilwell.
“All these young, talented players can continue in the club.
“I think it is the right way and direction to continue to improve.
“We can see the project at the training ground too and it is a good feeling for everyone at the club.
“But you have to have good results in balance to keep the confidence for all people – the fans and our owners.
“With experience it is important to keep calm in all situations against pressure.
“It is important to keep the way and for me it is a good challenge.
“I know there is not a lot of margin for error. But it is important to find a good balance between results and work to build something strong for the club for a long time.”
No top-flight boss has yet been sacked this season but both Puel and his opposite number today, Manuel Pellegrini , have been under pressure.
Ex-southampton coach Puel added: “It is my third season in Premier League and I think there has been a lot of progress for all the teams about their play and consistency.
“It is not just a quick fix or hit.
“I don’t know if this patience will continue a long time but we will see.”