Daniel Levy appears to have pulled off a masterstroke by convincing David Sullivan to let Mohammed Kudus join West Ham’s bitter rivals Tottenham for just £55m – and now we know how.
West Ham fans are absolutely incandescent this evening as word emerges that their worst fears have come true – Mohammed Kudus is being sold to Spurs.
Hammers supporters have long since come to terms with the fact Kudus needed to be sold to raise funds for Graham Potter’s rebuild.
Many are not overly concerned about losing the Ghanaian after his poor second season in east London.
But the majority believe Kudus will once again hit the heights of his debut campaign wherever he ended up next.
For a time that looked set to be Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea. There was even a shout from Newcastle.
Spurs and West Ham agree first transfer for 14 years
However, a transfer nobody saw coming was Kudus being sold by West Ham United to their fierce rivals Tottenham.
West Ham fans are only just getting over the anger and ignominy of selling homegrown captain Declan Rice to Arsenal.
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Now the Hammers have sold another of their top players to an even bigger rival in Spurs.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein has announced a deal has been agreed between the clubs and on personal terms with Kudus.
Not a single player has moved between West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur since 2011.
Now the 14-year transfer embargo has ended.
And this is how Daniel Levy got David Sullivan to do the unthinkable as Tottenham ‘steal’ Kudus from West Ham for just £55m.
Neither Levy nor Sullivan would fare particularly well if Tottenham or West Ham held a popularity contest voted for by fans.
But there’s little love lost between them either. In fact there have been frosty relations between the two boardrooms for over a decade.
So it was no surprise when Levy started rubbing West Ham up the wrong way from the get-go over Kudus.
A top source very close to Hammers majority owner Sullivan claimed ‘Levy was up to his old tricks by playing the Kudus deal out in the press’.
Well those ‘old tricks’ have worked.
How Levy got Sullivan to do unthinkable Kudus deal
Tottenham chief Levy saw several offers knocked back by Sullivan for Kudus.
West Ham were left dumbstruck by one of Levy’s Kudus offers – as £10m of it was payable if Tottenham won the Premier League or Champions League.
When that was rejected by the Hammers, doubts started to creep in over Kudus joining Spurs – much to the delight of many West Ham fans.
Levy cooled talks and stepped away, leaving West Ham sweating on Chelsea making a move for Kudus.
But Sullivan’s desperation to get cash in the bank as soon as possible and to start making signings for Potter has been preyed upon by wily Levy.
The Spurs chairman is under pressure to deliver for new boss Thomas Frank, especially after missing out on Bryan Mbeumo, Eberechi Eze and Antoine Semenyo.
When he stepped away from Kudus talks at the weekend, Hammers News understands Frank was not best pleased having made the Ghanaian winger a top target.
That’s when Levy was forced back to the negotiating table where he found Sullivan now desperate to do a deal £10m less than the fee West Ham wanted – and £30m less than Kudus’ release clause.
Hammers News has always stated Kudus’ release clause was a complete red herring. And so it has proved.
Now transfer insider Graeme Bailey has revealed how a dramatic day of negotiations between two fierce rivals transpired.
Bailey has warned Sullivan he has taken a wrong turn by selling Kudus to Spurs for a ‘steal’, telling West Ham fans they have ‘every right to be worried’.
Frank anger forced Levy back to desperate West Ham
“There was nothing new from Levy who was not budging and Frank was not amused, he wanted it doing,” Bailey exclusively told Hammers News.
“West Ham buckled – but unless Chelsea came in, there were not many other options.
“And West Ham need cash now, as we know.
“David Sullivan really wanted £60m plus for Kudus, he was insistent on that point when Tottenham came in – they made offer with add-ons, but they were dismissed.
“The third offer was over £60m but needed Spurs to win trophies and that did not appeal. He has now accepted the cash offer, which will be paid over a number of years – but that is the deal he wanted.
“Personally I was told a deal was likely at around £57m but £55m has got the deal done and this looks a bit of a steal to me, and it’s a huge risk for West Ham and Sullivan to sell their prized asset at this price.
“This deal could be one a real turning point for West Ham and not in a good way.
“West Ham fans are worried and I believe they have every right to be.”