There was a segment on British game show A League of Their Own in December 2011 which serves as a reminder of why the prospect of Mohammed Kudus leaving West Ham United to join rivals Tottenham Hotspur would leave a sour taste among supporters.
Host James Corden and panellists Peter Crouch and Jamie Redknapp were discussing Scott Parker’s recent decision to join Spurs from West Ham before Corden, a West Ham fan, jokingly launched a diatribe against the midfielder.
“He’s dead to me, he is dead to me,” Corden said, before turning to the midfielder, who was sat in the audience. “F*** you Parker, f*** you!”
It was clearly a joke, said with a smirk on the face, but it spoke for the feelings of West Ham fans when it comes to their star players moving to Tottenham.
Parker had felt he needed to join Tottenham to further his international career, following West Ham’s relegation to the Championship at the end of the 2010-11 season. Despite West Ham’s poor season, he had been named Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year and opted to move to a Spurs side aiming to return to the Champions League. That may have seemed the obvious decision for Parker, but to West Ham fans it was not one they could get on board with — and they let him know next time he visited Upton Park.
Some 18 months after his departure, Parker was greeted with a chorus of boos from West Ham fans on his return to East London — and was saddened by the reaction.
“I didn’t expect the West Ham fans to boo me and obviously it was a little bit upsetting,” said a mystified Parker. “I don’t know why (they did it). I don’t know if it’s because I went to their local rivals. I’m not sure but I just would have liked to think that maybe I would have got a better reception after what I did in my time here.
“I had four fantastic years here and it will always be a club with a massive place in my heart. I was looking forward to coming back and I couldn’t wait to go out there and play so I was disappointed (to be booed).”
Twelve years later, Kudus could follow in Parker’s footsteps. Although the attacker may not feel the same level of vitriol, a hostile reception at the London Stadium on September 13 would surely await him. West Ham rejected Tottenham’s £50million ($68m) offer for the 24-year-old Ghana international over the weekend but club-to-club talks continue. Personal terms are not expected to be an issue, with Kudus more than open to a move to Spurs.
His desire to join Thomas Frank’s side stems from the attacking midfielder wanting to play in European competition. Tottenham, who finished 17th and below West Ham last season, will compete in the Champions League this season, having won the Europa League.
Kudus, whose contract expires in 2028, has a buyout clause that is only active for the first 10 days of July, valued at £80m for European clubs, £85m for Premier League sides and £120m for Saudi Arabian teams, but he has no interest in joining a club in the Middle East. Although Kudus will not force an exit, the versatile attacker has no intention of staying at West Ham beyond the summer.
As unpalatable as the move may be for West Ham fans, the club doesn’t have many other options as they look to start a proper rebuild under head coach Graham Potter.
Potential incomings are caveated by the club needing to sell before they can buy. The attacker is the club’s sole sellable asset, with captain Jarrod Bowen not for sale and the uncertainty surrounding Lucas Paqueta’s future. The club’s hierarchy hope to receive a significant return on the €41.5m (£35.7m at today’s exchange rate) fee they paid to prise him away from Ajax in August 2023.
Selling Kudus would enable Potter and the recruitment team to accelerate their pursuit of transfer targets. West Ham are currently lacking squad depth following the departures of Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Danny Ings this summer. Michail Antonio’s contract expired on June 30, although his departure has not been formally announced.
It was all in stark contrast to his debut campaign, when he registered 18 goals and 10 assists across 48 appearances, with his solo goal against Freiburg and acrobatic strike against Manchester City particular highlights. It is this version of Kudus that Tottenham will hope sparks their own rebuild under Frank.
Kudus has been utilised in multiple positions across West Ham’s front line but his preferred position is on the right flank, where Bowen also does his best work. Kudus’ desire to leave also stems from an urge to play in his natural position.
In a 13-month period from August 2003 to August 2004, Frederic Kanoute, Jermain Defoe and Michael Carrick all swapped east for north London, leading to Spurs fans mockingly referring to West Ham as their ‘feeder club’. The fact so little business has been done between the two clubs tells you that this is not a situation anyone at the London Stadium wants to see repeated.
Kudus’ departure was always likely to happen this summer, but few would have envisioned the potential landing spot being Tottenham. It could also be the best way to ensure a better 2025-26.
Top photo: Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images