Morocco defender Issa Diop has changed teams in the English Premier League. According to the Associated Press on Wednesday, Diop is going from Fulham to Ipswich for a transfer fee of $11.4 million.
Diop was born in France, but was eligible to represent Morocco internationally because his mother has a Moroccan background. He has played nine international games for the Moroccan National Team despite playing 40 games with the French development team from 2013 to 2018 where he scored three goals.
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Diop started five of Morocco’s six games and scored one World Cup goal. It came in the round of 32 against the Netherlands, a game Morocco won 3-2 on penalty kicks after the game was tied at one goal apiece after extra time. Diop’s goal in Guadalupe, Mexico was very dramatic as it tied the game at one in the 91st minute.
The round of 32 game was noteworthy because Morocco and the Netherlands were both ranked in the top 10 in the FIFA World Rankings (Morocco was sixth and the Netherlands was seventh), but had to play against each other in a first round knockout game. After the Netherlands loss, Dutch head coach Ronald Koeman resigned.
As a professional, Diop is joining his fourth professional team. He previously played four seasons with Toulouse (six goals in 85 games from 2015 to 2018), five seasons with West Ham United (six goals in 96 games) and five seasons with Fulham (two goals in 77 games). Ipswich will be playing in the Premier League this season after being promoted.
