Micky van de Ven was on the ground holding his head. Richarlison too. After which Pape Sarr obtained a shove within the face. It’s honest to say Mohammed Kudus made fairly an influence on his most up-to-date look on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The winger had opened the scoring earlier within the October derby however was finally despatched off late on after a VAR examine for his half in a melee, which started with Kudus repeatedly booting the ball in opposition to a fallen Van de Ven. It summed up West Ham’s frustrations after they’d blown their benefit to go 4-1 down.
Kudus was handed a five-game ban for the incident. He later admitted he had “lost his cool” and was “deeply embarrassed” by the occasions. If Spurs do go on to signal him, there could possibly be some fascinating preliminary conversations together with his former adversaries.
There will probably be a really completely different response from the followers who jeered him off the pitch that day, although.
Kudus is an thrilling switch goal. Spurs hardly ever do enterprise with West Ham – the Ghanian could be the primary signing from their rivals in 14 years – however Kudus is deemed proficient sufficient to make an exception for.
Kudus is nearly to show 25, would add much-needed depth to Spurs’ huge attacking positions and, after two seasons in east London, is effectively conscious of the calls for of the Premier League. With three years nonetheless to run on his West Ham contract, all of it provides as much as a price ticket north of £50m.
So what would Spurs be getting for his or her cash? And the way a lot of a priority ought to his drop-off from an attention grabbing first season be?
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Watch a few of Kudus’ finest Premier League objectives since he joined West Ham
Finest newcomer, stuttering second season – will Kudus kick on?
Kudus was named because the Premier League’s finest newcomer by Sky Sports activities’ Gary Neville within the MNF awards on the finish of the 2023/24 season. A £38m buy from Ajax seemed like a discount deal for West Ham, with Kudus scoring 14 occasions throughout all competitions, establishing 9 extra objectives and bringing pleasure to the London Stadium together with his lightning, direct dribbles.
He even received the membership’s goal-of-the-season prize for an electrical run by the Freiburg defence, which started in his personal half.
However there have been simply 5 objectives in all final time period. In addition to the one at Spurs, his solely different objectives got here residence and away in opposition to Brighton and Ipswich, together with his last strike of the season arriving with simply three minutes to play in opposition to relegated opposition at Portman Highway.
Statistically it was a disappointing dip from the promise of that first marketing campaign. “There’s no doubt that he’s a quality player,” stated Sky Sports activities Jamie Carragher stated in Could. “Last season (2023/24) he looked fantastic, he just hasn’t looked the same player [in 2024/25].”
Kudus had extra pictures in his second season at West Ham – however his numbers for objectives, assists and take-ons accomplished had been down
There are, although, the caveats round West Ham’s type and in addition the positions Kudus was requested to play through the 2024/25 season.
The Hammers went from top-half finishers and Europa League quarter-finalists underneath David Moyes to struggling to 14th with Julen Lopetegui after which Graham Potter in cost for Kudus’ second season in London.
Damage points within the West Ham assault led to Kudus taking part in in 4 completely different positions in Potter’s first three video games in cost, one thing he instructed Sky Sports activities was “very difficult”.
Kudus performed 1,523 minutes on his favoured proper flank in his first season at West Ham – however simply 646 minutes in2024/25
After racking up 1,523 minutes of gametime on his favoured proper flank in his first season – slicing onto his favoured left foot to shoot at purpose or provide Jarrod Bowen in central areas – that quantity dropped to 646 minutes final time period, as Kudus plugged gaps throughout the frontline.
There have been even stints in an unfamiliar centre-forward function, the place he admitted scuffling with the physicality and tactical runs required.
It appeared teaching had been finished to attempt to get Kudus taking part in in additional harmful areas – his probability creation depend nudged up, whereas his elevated shot whole included a better proportion of efforts from nearer to purpose. However together with his take-on numbers decrease, the spark and pleasure Kudus can convey to West Ham’s assault was much more fleeting.
Kudus took 44.8 per cent of 67 pictures from exterior the field in 2023/24. Simply 29 per cent of his pictures in 24/25 had been exterior the field
The query is how a lot of that could be a pure inconsistency in his recreation and the way a lot is right down to taking part in in a West Ham facet missing fluidity of their attacking play final season? “Sometimes when the team isn’t functioning as well as you’d like, individuals within the team can suffer with that,” stated Potter when requested about Kudus in Could.
Will a Tottenham staff – which completed three locations beneath the Hammers however scored 18 extra objectives – present the setting to assist Kudus fireplace like he did in that first 12 months in England?
The strategy of recent Spurs boss Thomas Frank will probably be important. Bryan Mbeumo, a left-footer like Kudus, starred on the best facet of Frank’s assault at Brentford, scoring 20 occasions final season. Might Frank assist Kudus to get close to these ranges?
Spurs’ prime scorer final season, Brennan Johnson, will probably be vying for a similar place, as might Dejan Kulusevski, though he was more and more used in-field by Ange Postecoglou. So Kudus is also deployed on the left, the place he spent a lot of his minutes final season at West Ham.
Uncertainty over Heung-Min Son’s future, the tip of Timo Werner’s unsuccessful mortgage and the relative inexperience of Mikey Moore and Mathys Tel – who can be used as a centre-forward – imply Spurs might do with an elevated risk from that flank. Particularly with the calls for of Champions League soccer more likely to require squad rotation.
Kudus, absolutely, can rediscover his defence-threatening thrust, his trademark when he’s on prime of his recreation, and the mix of spectacular strikes and back-post ending, which he demonstrated on his final journey to Tottenham.
That every one provides as much as a worthwhile funding for Spurs, if they will discover a determine which convinces West Ham to promote. They’ll then hope Kudus will probably be leaving opponents in disarray another way to his derby show final October when he’s subsequent again in N17.
