We are delighted to announce that One of Our Own, Cheick Diabate has had a clause in his contract triggered by the club, extending his stay until the end of the 2024/25 season.
The 22-year-old had a memorable breakthrough season in the 2021/22 campaign, breaking into the first team and becoming a pivotal part of our promotion winning team, and now gone on to rack up 74 appearances in red and white - scoring three times.
This season alone, Cheick has made 31 of those appearances in a campaign that has seen great competition for the defensive spots.
Speaking about the extension, Cheick said: "It feels good that the club wants me to stay, my time here has gone so quickly and it's great to have another year. You can see the club is progressing and moving forward. So I'm really happy to be here and look to keep improving.
"I feel like my game has improved as a whole, and I've learnt a lot from the manager and players around me. I can't wait for the new season and to come back stronger.
"Exeter feels like home now. I've been here for a long time and had a lot of good experiences. I love the club and the fans, they have shown so much love to me ever since I made my debut.
"Everytime I wear the shirt I wear it with pride and honour and I love representing the club."
Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell added: "We are really pleased to have signed the extension. Cheick came into the team at a really difficult time of the season and showed his qualities, first and foremost as a defender.
"He is part of a really competitive area of the squad, in terms of the quality of our defenders and when he has played he has shown what a big future he has ahead of him.
"We always want to keep hold of our academy players as long as we can but there will always be a time they look for something new in their career, but at this current moment in time Cheick is fully committed to the club and we are fully committed to developing him so he can be the best player he can possibly be."
