West Ham will be left baffled after Mohammed Kudus made a blatant false claim in his first official interview as a Tottenham Hotspur player.
Mohammed Kudus became the first player to move between West Ham and Tottenham for over 14 years this week.
The move between fierce London rivals has been hugely controversial given the disdain between not only Hammers and Spurs fans but the boardrooms too.
Besides Millwall, Tottenham are West Ham’s biggest rivals.
So for a player to leave and join Spurs, especially a top player, it is big news.
Kudus didn’t grow up a West Ham fan so it is churlish to pretend he might care about jumping ship to a rival or how that might make supporters feel.
And at the end of the day, the Hammers only have themselves to blame for getting into a position where they have been forced to sell one of their top players for a knockdown fee to a bitter rival.
‘Kudus the Judas’ has burnt any West Ham bridges
Tottenham fans, like Arsenal’s with Declan Rice, will now be able to goad West Ham for years to come.
West Ham supporters rightly bristle at the suggestion Spurs are a bigger club than them.
Many Tottenham fans will believe signing Kudus proves that.
However, being the only show in town for a player at a club desperate to sell because of PSR is hardly evidence that would stand up to much scrutiny or debate.
It is difficult to know who is more unpopular right now at West Ham, majority owner David Sullivan or Kudus.
But while Sullivan may have a chance to redeem himself with what the Hammers do in the rest of the window, Kudus’ bridges are well and truly burnt.
The label of ‘Kudus the Judas’ has already been taken up by West Ham fans.
When Hammers News exclusively revealed before any other outlet that Kudus was refusing to train for West Ham this week, it was clear this unthinkable transfer was not going to end amicably.
Reportedly late for training on several occasions to make his point that West Ham needed to accept a bid from Tottenham, Kudus showed little care for the club who brought him to the Premier League.
To rub salt in the wound, word emerged that Kudus only wanted Spurs amid reported interest from Chelsea.
In his announcement video, the Ghanaian only went and uttered those words himself: “I only wanted Spurs,” he said before eagerly re-posting the video from his own X account.
That may have been true this week – but only because Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and – Hammers News can reveal – Bayern Munich, all turned down the chance to sign the 24-year-old.
But if you thought Kudus saying he only wanted Tottenham was bad, wait until you hear this.
West Ham shock as Kudus tells bare-faced lie in Spurs interview
West Ham will be shocked as Kudus tells a bare-faced lie in his first Spurs interview.
It would be childish to suggest Kudus isn’t a quality player just because he’s joined Tottenham.
The fact of the matter is Kudus is one of – if not the – best dribblers in all of Europe.
He is a player capable of the spectacular, explosive moments of brilliance that can win a game.
So Spurs are getting a fantastically talented individual.
They are also getting a bad teammate.
Kudus plays for himself and has done since he arrived at West Ham.
When the rest of the team was functioning reasonably well, it kind of worked to a degree.
But it soon started to unravel.
There is a video from West Ham’s pre-season Premier League media day last summer where Michail Antonio calls Kudus selfish, saying he doesn’t pass.
There is no reaction from a surly Kudus because Antonio wasn’t joking.
This is not sour grapes washed down with a pint of bitter. West Ham fans have seen players 10 times better than Kudus come and go and break our hearts.
It is simply the truth about a player summed up by that Antonio comment. He is a selfish ball-hog who lets his head drop as soon as things aren’t going his way.
And good luck to Thomas Frank if he wants to sub him off.
At first Kudus might tow the party line and act properly in those situations. But just ask Julen Lopetegui how the “Star Boy” responds to constructive criticism.
The Spaniard called Kudus out for his selfishness at half-time of a game at Frank’s Brentford last season.
Kudus was incensed at being singled out and flew into a rage resulting in a furious bust-up with the 58-year-old manager from whom he had to be separated.
Lopetegui played it down but it was indicative of a poisonous undercurrent that has been allowed to develop at the club since David Moyes’ departure.
Graham Potter is trying to fix that as his top priority, calling for West Ham to get back to being a family who look out and fight for one another.
It’s been reported Potter is not overly concerned by Kudus’ departure and the board don’t see it as a disaster either. That speaks volumes given how angry fans are.
Given all that, something Kudus said in his first interview will leave Hammers fans dumbstruck.
And Tottenham fans should not be fooled.
Kudus tells Spurs he’s a team player – and keeps a straight face
“I’m very team-orientated,” Kudus said in his first message to Tottenham fans – while somehow keeping a straight face.
“So my personal goals are around helping the team get as many points as we can, to be as high as we can in the Premier League and perform really well and go as far as we can in the Champions League.”
Kudus can tell himself that until he is blue in the face.
The world and its wife – including Tottenham fans who live in the real world – know it isn’t true.
If anything Mohammed Kudus is the antithesis of a team player.
He does everything to make himself the star of the show.
When that doesn’t transpire he’ll be the first one sulking.
He’ll win Tottenham a few games on his own and score some unbelievable goals.
He may even become a team player if Frank can get through to him.
There’s no hiding this moves stings because Hammers fans know what he could be capable of deep down.
But the fact many at West Ham are glad to see the back of him tells its own story.
And if Tottenham don’t qualify for the Champions League for a season or two, don’t expect Kudus to stick around long.
The same applies if he does hit it off and bigger clubs start circling.
Proof of Kudus’ selfishness is neatly provided by the way he left West Ham – without even a message to the fans.
In many ways Tottenham should be alarmed by the fact a player would push to join them from the Hammers.
It underlines how little loyalty he has or any consideration for rivalries.
Mark my words, if Arsenal came knocking in the future he would not hesitate for a second.
That’s the kind of player Tottenham have got on their hands.