Mohammed Kudus’ West Ham United departure appears to be heating up with bitter Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur slamming their foot onto the accelerator.
Now, while many West Ham supporters are clearly not happy about the prospect of such a gifted footballer leaving for those hated neighbours up in the North, this is not really a club with many options available to them right now.
As a spokesman for the West Ham United board explains, the chance to bring in a fee of around £60 million may be one they cannot afford to turn down.
“Sadly, £55 – £60 million offers are hard to get,” Hammers News have been informed. “We are searching everywhere to try and get other offers.”
Clearly, Mohammed Kudus joining Tottenham and becoming the first player to swap the Hammers for Spurs since Scott Parker 14 years prior is a scenario the London Stadium outfit would rather avoid.
Yet, with those financial pressures preventing a Graham Potter, Kyle Macaulay-led rebuild from even getting out of the starting gates, Kudus has the makings of a sacrificial lamb offered up in an attempt to appease the PSR gods.
Ally McCoist, the Rangers and Scotland icon, sums the situation up pretty well.
Mohammed Kudus during West Ham United FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC in the Premier League
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Ally McCoist urges Tottenham to snap up West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus
The chance to land Kudus for much less than his release clause – West Ham initially wanted £85 million from rival Premier League clubs – is a ‘no-brainer’ from a Spurs perspective, McCoist says
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.In an ideal world, he would not be leaving the London Stadium at all. Let alone for a club David Sullivan has not done business with for almost a decade-and-a-half.
But that is the nature of the beast in these Profit and Sustainability-driven times. Sacrifices have to be made in the pursuit of progress. And if West Ham are to make progress in pursuit of their leading summer targets, Kudus following in Scott Parker’s footsteps is a scenario they may have no real option of preventing right now.
“[Signing Kudus] is a no-brainer for Tottenham,” McCoist argues. “I think he’s a terrific player, I really do. I like him a lot, Kudus.
“West Ham would not want to see the back of him, that’s for sure.”
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From a more positive perspective, it’s not as if the £38 million signing from Ajax performed anywhere near the peak of his powers last term. The drop-off from his debut season in England compared to 2024/25 was pretty substantial.
From 14 goals and nine assists to five and four.
As former Upton Park boss Alan Pardew put it, Mohammed Kudus can be ‘unplayable’ on his day. The problem is, under both Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter, those days became fewer and further between. A £60 million windfall would allow West Ham to bring in a new centre-forward, a couple of dynamic midfielders, or a more reliable goalkeeper.
Perhaps, if Macaulay displays the same instincts he showed at Brighton, Kudus’ sale could free up funds for a handful of new arrivals.
Chelsea offered Jadon Sancho in exchange for Kudus earlier in the summer, while Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle have all been linked.
However, it has since emerged that Kudus is open to joining Tottenham in a move that would scrub away any remaining goodwill held towards him by the Hammers faithful.
Anticipated offers from Saudi Arabia have not been forthcoming, in the meantime, despite claims that Kudus could have earned £17 million-a-year at Al Nassr or Said Benrhama’s Neom SC.