TRANSFERS He had been without a club for some time, but Cheikhou Kouyaté has officially announced his retirement from football today. The now 36-year-old Senegalese enjoyed five superb years at Anderlecht between 2009 and 2014. He won no fewer than four league titles. Anderlecht picked up Kouyaté on a free transfer in 2008 from neighbours RWDM.
After a year of development at Kortrijk, he made his debut in what was then still the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in 2009. He almost immediately secured a place in the starting line-up, first as a defensive midfielder and later as a centre-back. But it was Besnik Hasi's decision at the start of the 2014 play-offs to move Kouyaté back into midfield that became legendary. It helped Anderlecht claw their way back from what looked like a hopeless position to win the championship after all. In the summer of 2014, Kouyaté moved to West Ham, where he stayed for four years. He then spent four years at Crystal Palace and two at Nottingham Forest.
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