Cheikhou Kouyaté

He scored his third goal of the season in a 2–2 draw with Norwich City on 26 September, netting the equalizer in the 90th minute to rescue a point for West Ham.

He made his debut ten days later in a 2–0 win at Fulham, as an 88th-minute substitute for Andros Townsend.

Cheikhou Kouyaté (born 21 December 1989) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Senegal national team.

Kouyaté began his footballing career in 1996 in his hometown with ASC Yego Dakar and was scouted by RWDM Brussels in September 2006.

RWDM Brussels then signed the player in January the following year.

Kouyaté moved from Senegal to Belgium in 2006, having been offered a youth contract at RWDM Brussels.

He played ten games before moving to Anderlecht aged 19, where he made 206 appearances and won the Belgian First Division A four times.

He went on to play ten league appearances for the first team between 2007 and 2008.

As Kouyaté turned 19, he left Brussels because his former employers did not pay him three months' worth of wages.

He subsequently moved to Anderlecht in the same city on a four-year deal for a free transfer.

He also had a loan at KV Kortrijk.

Kouyaté made 153 league appearances for Anderlecht, scoring four goals in five seasons at the club.

He won the 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13 and 2013–14 league titles as well as the 2010–11, 2012–13 and 2013–14 Belgian Super Cups.

Kouyaté represented the Senegal national team at the 2012 Olympics.

He played at two FIFA World Cup and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, including Senegal's victory in 2021.

In June 2014, he joined West Ham United of the Premier League, and four years later he transferred to Crystal Palace for an estimated £9.5 million.

On 18 June 2014, Kouyaté signed for West Ham United on a four-year contract for a fee of £7 million.

He made his West Ham debut on 16 August in a 1–0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, for which his performance was described as "impressive" by the BBC.

The following week, manager Sam Allardyce compared him to ex-Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira.

On 28 December, Kouyaté scored his first West Ham goal in a 2–1 defeat to Arsenal.

His second goal of the season came on 8 February 2015 in a 1–1 draw with Manchester United.

His performance in the game won praise from manager Allardyce for Kouyaté's Man of the Match performance which was also singled out as the Individual Performance of the Season, by a West Ham player, at the clubs' annual awards.

He scored two further goals in the season, in a 2–2 away draw with Tottenham and in a 2–1 away defeat to Leicester City.

Kouyaté finished the season having played 31 out of a possible 38 Premier League games.

On 9 August 2015, Kouyaté scored the opening goal in the 43rd minute in a 2–0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

He then scored in a 4–3 home defeat to Bournemouth on 22 August.

Kouyaté was sent-off twice during the 2015–16 season and on both occasions had the card rescinded by The Football Association (FA).

On 21 February, he was dismissed by referee Jonathan Moss in a 5–1 FA Cup win at Blackburn Rovers, only for the card to be rescinded a few days later.

On 2 April, he was dismissed in a Premier League game at the Boleyn Ground against Crystal Palace by referee Mark Clattenburg.

This too, however, was overturned a few days later.

In March 2016, Kouyate signed a new, five-year contract with West Ham that could keep him at the club until 2021.

On 4 August 2016, Kouyaté scored West Ham's first ever goal at the Olympic Stadium, coming in the eighth minute of a Europa League game against NK Domžale.

He also scored the second in the game, which West Ham won 3–0.

On 26 October 2016, Kouyaté scored the opening goal in a 2–1 EFL Cup victory against rivals Chelsea.

On 8 April 2017, Kouyaté scored a "stunning low 25-yard strike", as West Ham beat relegation rivals Swansea City.

On 23 September 2017, Kouyaté scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 loss against Tottenham.

Kouyaté's final goal for the club came on 24 November 2017, scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Leicester City.

Kouyaté marked the headed goal with a lowered crossed-armed celebration, designed to help raise awareness about the ongoing slavery in Libya.

On 1 August 2018, Kouyaté completed a move to fellow London club Crystal Palace on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £9.5 million.

He scored his first goal in his 54th game on 26 December 2019, equalising in a 2–1 win over his previous club at Selhurst Park.