being one of the best centre midfield players in the Premiership and that's where I see his long-term position. I've seen Diop play over the years and he has all the attributes to be a top-class midfielder". For his performances during the 2005–06 season, Diop was nominated for the Fulham "Player of the Year" award. Diop would then sign a new deal keeping him until 2009. Diop then said that he made a right decision to sign a contract with Fulham. Diop became a fans' favourite. An injury due to hamstring, foot, and back problems resulted in him missing part of the 2006–07 season and losing the captaincy to Danny Murphy. In January 2007 Wigan Athletic made a £5 million bid for the midfielder, but Diop decided against the move and stayed with Fulham, helping them to avoid relegation. After Diop's three years at Craven Cottage Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez allowed him to move on, and he transferred to Portsmouth on transfer deadline day. Diop finished his Fulham career having played 84 matches for the side, scoring nine goals. Portsmouth Diop signed a five-year deal with Portsmouth for a fee of £3.5 million. He made his debut against Liverpool on 15 September 2007 in a 0–0 draw. Diop was a key player in Portsmouth's victorious 2008 FA Cup campaign, playing a solid, defensive game and making some crucial tackles against Cardiff City. Following Portsmouth's relegation, Diop was considered likely to be released. Portsmouth's administrator, Andrew Andronikou, stated that Diop would only be leaving for a fee of £1 million, but Portsmouth eventually agreed to an undisclosed fee (reported as around £750,000) to transfer Diop to AEK Athens in July 2010. He played 72 games for Portsmouth without scoring. AEK Athens On 13 July 2010, Diop agreed terms with AEK Athens signing a two-year deal earning €900,000 per season, despite interest from Fulham, Celtic and Paris Saint-Germain. Diop made his debut for AEK Athens against Dundee United on 19 August 2010 in a Europa League play-off first-leg game. Diop appeared as a substitute at the 81st minute of the 1–0 victory. Diop scored his first Super League goal against PAOK on 3 June 2011, the match finished 4–0 to AEK. Bouba Diop finished the season having played in only 19 league games. On 30 April 2011, Diop won the Greek Cup with AEK in a 3–0 win against Atromitos. Diop also