As if the prospect of relegating a bitter rival was not enough to spark West Ham United’s bloodlust, the prospect of having the last laugh over Mohammed Kudus should make even the most mild-mannered supporter froth at the mouth.
Justice, indeed.
Mohammed Kudus secured himself a spot alongside Dimitri Payet in a list of the most unpopular former West Ham United players last summer. Kudus became the first Hammer to join Tottenham Hotspur since Scott Parker 14 years prior; the snake of Marseille finding himself a slippery, slithering brother in the process.
Oh no, Mo… 🤣
How will YOU celebrate if Tottenham go down? 🎉 🍾
Now, Thomas Frank didn’t get much right during his disastrous stint in the Spurs dugout. But he was correct in predicting that Kudus would be greeted by a ‘hostile’ reception on his return to the London Stadium last September.
If Spurs’ eventual 3-0 win made the Ghana international feel his decision to cross the divide was justified – it is easy to forget that Frank actually made a very positive start before things unravelled – then the state of play five months later gives West Ham the opportunity to exact brutal revenge.
West Ham United could send Tottenham Hotspur and Mohammed Kudus down
Both Nottingham Forest and Tottenham suffered nightmarish defeats on Sunday. Forest suffered the ignominy of a 97th minute Alexis Mac Allister winner. For Spurs, their supporters could do nothing but watch on in horror as Arsenal twisted the knife; ‘oles’ echoing around a half-empty stadium as the Gunners cruised to a 4-1 win.
So while West Ham missed an opportunity against Bournemouth – failing to break the deadlock despite reporting an XG of 3.15 – Nuno Espirito Santo’s team still ended the weekend having made progress on their two relegation rivals.
There are only four points separating West Ham and Kudus’ 16th-placed Spurs.
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And when reflecting on Kudus’ first few words as a Tottenham player, shortly after that £54.5 million deal was completed in June 2025, it is almost impossible not to chuckle at the sheer naivety of it.
Thomas Frank played a massive role in Kudus’ move to Spurs
Kudus joined Tottenham to perform ‘at the highest level’. Unless their interim head coach can become the most successful Tudor this isle has seen since Queen Elizabeth I vanquished the Spanish Armada, Kudus could go from the Champions League to the Championship; his old employers from the East escaping the drop at Spurs’ expense.
Furthermore, Kudus also spoke glowingly about Thomas Frank and the role he played luring the former Ajax forward to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
As it transpired, Kudus would play under 26 matches under a coach who recorded a lower win rate [26 per cent] than Gianfranco Zola and Julen Lopetegui mustered at West Ham.
“I’ve always wanted to play at the highest level,” Kudus said last summer; obviously completely blind as to the disaster to come. “[I wanted to join Tottenham because of] how big the club is, the history, the Champions League as well.
“The most important part of why I came here was the project, how the manager [Frank] sees that I can develop under him. Where he has come from, seeing the amount of talent he has developed to become good players…
“It’s a big [reason] why I wanted to [work] under him.”
On reflection, this reads like an interview of someone excitedly loading their baggage onto the Titanic in April 1912, rambling eagerly about how much they were looking forward to seeing New York.
Time will tell if that North London Derby disaster is the iceberg which brings about the doom of what was once one of the Premier League’s most impenetrable ships.
Should Tottenham sink, as Kudus and co leap for the life rafts, don’t expect too much mourning from West Ham.