The importance of Mohammed Kudus’ return to the London Stadium wearing the white of Tottenham Hotspur is not lost on West Ham United centre-back Max Kilman.
Thomas Frank is expecting a ‘hostile’ reception for his £54.5 million summer signing; Kudus becoming the first player since Scott Parker in 2011 to leave West Ham United for their rivals to the north.
And though Graham Potter refused to be drawn on the Ghanaian’s return to his old stomping ground – the Hammers boss instead focusing on the present rather than harking back to past favourites – the prospect of Mohammed Kudus firing Spurs to victory at the London Stadium is something that would leave each and every home supporter with a nasty case of nausea.
Max Kilman, though, believes that West Ham have the defensive strength to keep Kudus on the periphery.
The former Wolves captain watched Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadji Malick Diouf brilliantly shut down Callum Hudson-Odoi and Dan Ndoye during the 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest before the international break.
And Kilman is confident that history can repeat itself when West Ham’s full-backs go up against another of the Premier League’s finest frontlines.
Max Kilman tips West Ham United duo Kyle Walker-Peters and Malick Diouf to outshine Mohammed Kudus
Tottenham’s new number 20 is expected to start on the right-hand side, though Frank could be heard instructing Kudus to ‘go create [and] do whatever you want’ on the training pitch this week.
The implication being that the two-time Eredivisie champion is likely to be given the freedom he needs to drift across the pitch, alternating with the likes of Richarlison and Brennan Johnson.
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Kilman, though, is confident in the defensive talents of left-back Diouf – who Kudus is expected to go head-to-head with – and Walker-Peters on the other flank.
Furthermore, his comments suggest that the summer signing from Southampton will start again on the right, ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
“On his day, [Kudus] is a brilliant player,” Kilman tells the official West Ham website. “So we know it’s going to be a tough, tough challenge, but we have to be ready. He’s a rival now, and he’s an opponent, and we want to stop him.
“We’ve got some new full-backs as well who are obviously going to be up against him in Malick and Kyle, and we will make sure to tell them a few little tips about his strengths.
“We’ve had a few new boys come into a new league for the first time, and I think he and the others have adjusted pretty well.
“They deserve credit as well, because coming into a new league is not easy, but they’ve managed themselves really well, and they’re really helping us a lot.”
Kilman acknowledges Tottenham’s improvement under Thomas Frank
After the West Ham supporters urged Potter to give Walker-Peters a run of games in place of the underperforming Wan-Bissaka, they got their wish. Should the England international start again tonight, this will be his third in succession.
And while skipper Jarrod Bowen raved about Malick Diouf’s crossing ability recently – the Senegalese sensation assisted Callum Wilson’s stoppage time header at the City Ground – he showed another side of his game with a solid defensive display up against the dangerous Ndoye.
Kilman, meanwhile, expects a difficult challenge against a Tottenham side far more controlled and far less chaotic than they were under Ange Postecoglou.
“I think they’re definitely a tougher side to break down,” the centre-back adds. “I think defensively they’ve really improved, and, of course, they have strengthened their squad as well from last season, so I think they’re going to be a top team.
“We have to back ourselves, and we’ve got a really good group as well, so I think it’s going to be a really good game, and hopefully we come out on top. I think now we’re in a really, really good place, and we just need to keep improving.”