It would be fair to say that former West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus could be in for a rough ride when Tottenham arrive at the London Stadium on Saturday.
The Ghanaian departed the Hammers in less-than-ideal circumstances during the summer and started Spurs’ season brightly, creating a couple of goals in their Premier League opener.
Since then, however, Kudus’ performances have dipped, and he’s drawn criticism from sections of the Tottenham fanbase. That said, his struggles seem to have coincided with Spurs’ own lacklustre displays, and there’s little doubt he’ll be fired up to face his old mates this weekend.
Inevitability about West Ham return
It almost feels written in the stars that Kudus will score against West Ham. But the Hammers have their own ex-Spurs man with a point to prove. Kyle Walker-Peters, who came through the ranks at Tottenham, was close to rejoining them from Southampton but instead found his way to East London. The versatile 28-year-old impressed on his full debut against Nottingham Forest and will be battling to keep his place ahead of the now fully-fit Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
So both sides could field players with revenge on their minds. While many West Ham fans disliked the manner of Kudus’ departure, it was clear he had no future under Graham Potter.
Adding an extra layer of intrigue, Tottenham made a late bid for Lucas Paquetá in the summer, and there have even been wild rumours linking Hammers skipper Jarrod Bowen with a move to north London.
As for Saturday, El Hadji Malick Diouf will face a stern test up against Kudus. But if Potter can deploy Crysencio Summerville ahead of him, it could pin the £55m man back and give West Ham the edge they desperately need. Not to mention, it would hand Hammers fans the bragging rights and just a sprinkle of revenge.