West Ham News: C&H

West Ham United have been dealt yet another blow in their Premier League survival fight after news emerged that Leeds United forward Noah Okafor will miss Monday night’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Swiss attacker had originally been expected to miss the Hammers’ FA Cup quarter-final against Leeds earlier this season, but made a rapid recovery, featuring on the day before embarking on a remarkable run of six goals in seven appearances.

Leeds Confirm Huge Injury Blow

Leeds assistant manager Edmund Riemer took the pre-match press conference in place of first-team coach Daniel Farke and confirmed Okafor would miss a game which could have serious implications on West Ham’s Premier League future.

And to put it simply, Nuno Espírito Santo really needs to match Tottenham’s result this weekend — and ideally better it.

Arsenal Challenge Already Massive

Unfortunately, the odds were already heavily stacked against West Ham considering Arsenal arrive at the London Stadium on Sunday as arguably one of the best teams in Europe right now.

Leeds were expected to be highly motivated against Roberto De Zerbi’s side because, despite climbing above the Hammers and out of the relegation zone, Spurs can still mathematically catch the Yorkshire club.

But make no mistake about it — losing Okafor is a huge setback for Leeds.

Spurs Continue To Get The Rub Of The Green

And from a West Ham perspective, it just feels like the latest in a long line of things that have fallen Tottenham’s way in recent weeks.

Whether it’s Aston Villa rotating half their team, injuries to opponents or momentum suddenly swinging in their favour, Spurs seem to be getting every break at exactly the right time.

Meanwhile, West Ham are left needing to produce something special against Arsenal just to keep pace.

Hammers Chat my first game was West Ham 10-0 Bury . . . seriously!

We than went and bought Bury's central defender 😬⚒️ Irons

Started Hammers Chat alongside my partner in crime Geo back in 2014 and brough in to Claret & Hugh by my old mate Hughie to produce videos a couple of years later.

Give West Ham opinions on Sky Sports News and even did a bit of moonlighting on BBC Football Focus.

Sometimes feature on BBC Radio 5 Live and once ate a biscuit in Tony Gales shed.

Connoisseur of salted caramel doughnuts and I love a Sloppy Giuseppe pizza although I'm slightly suspicious where the name came from.

When I'm not moaning about West Ham I can be found walking a dog that looks like a sheep and tinkering with pinball machines.

More West Ham moaning is done on a daily basis here 👇👇

https://www.youtube.com/@HammersChatForum

Still everything to play for, according to factions of the West Ham fan base and of course, the squad and management. Many fans feel that the pivotal results of last weekend will prove to be the turning point in this season’s battle as Tottenham Hotspur booted West Ham back into the relegation zone with three games to go.

Roshane Thomas, writing in the NY Times, clearly falls into the ‘it’s not over yet’ camp.

With rivals Tottenham still counting the ever-growing numbers of first team players in their sick bay and contrasting that directly with the Hammers’ injury situation at this late stage in the season, Thomas believes the Irons’ superior fitness could yet play a part.

As per The Athletic:

“West Ham’s superb injury record could yet be their saving grace in relegation battle”

West Ham United may have spent the bulk of this season languishing towards the bottom of the Premier League, but there is another table where they are faring far better — and it may yet be the crucial difference in their relegation battle. West Ham have suffered the second-lowest amount of injuries in the division this season.

Summing up the state-of-the-art fitness regime employed by West Ham’s training and conditioning team, Thomas highlights many of the techniques used, including recovery sessions in cryotherapy chambers, an altitude chamber which simulates a low-oxygen environment to help players improve their endurance and singles out Axel Disasi who had used a hyperbaric chamber to help him stay in shape ahead of his arrival in February.

Their list of casualties includes Mohammed Kudus, whose only absences in his two years at West Ham were due to international call-ups and suspension. Since making the short trip across London last summer for around £55million, the midfielder has missed 22 matches through injury, and is still out with a thigh problem suffered in January.

Others, including Ben Davies, Dominic Solanke, Guglielmo Vicario, Rodrigo Bentancur, Cristian Romero and Dejan Kulusevski have all been absent from the XI at various points.

Would that it proves enough to turn this relegation battle in West Ham’s favour as tired bodies head for their last three Premier League games: For one of the two squads, it could well be the difference between survival and the long drop to the Championship.

Aston Villa 1-2 Tottenham

There was clear frustration from the terraces at Villa Park as the home fans appeared disgruntled and disgusted at their team’s lack of effort. All I can say is, they should try being West Ham United fans.

Because in a game where the Hammers desperately needed Aston Villa to turn up and give Tottenham Hotspur a game, Unai Emery’s team looked like they would rather be anywhere other than the football pitch.

It’s not Villa’s fault, of course. If West Ham do go down this season, which is looking increasingly likely, it will not be the Midlands’ fault because West Ham have been the architects of their own demise.

West Ham Left Hoping For Favours Again

For those who were interested, then switched on to watch Aston Villa v Tottenham, it became evident after 60 seconds that this was going to be a mismatch. All the intensity, desire and athleticism came from the away team as Spurs’ greater desire to remain in the Premier League trumped a Villa team who, quite correctly, have one eye on a European semi-final.

Not that any of the above should come as anything of a surprise. Ollie Watkins on the bench, John McGinn in the stands, and Ross Barkley starting in midfield, it was quite clear where Emery’s priorities lay. If anyone was still not convinced how unconcerned the Villains boss was with his team’s performance, the lack of any substitutions at half time confirmed his apathy.

West Ham Running Out Of Chances

As for Roberto De Zerbi, not only did Spurs completely dominate their opponents from the first whistle, they are showing signs of adjusting to their new manager’s methods, and anybody who witnessed the game will not be confident of Leeds United beating them.

Far too many times this season, we’ve labelled games as must-win. Unfortunately now, West Ham have run out of them. Yesterday against Brentford necessitated victory, and Nuno Espírito Santo and the boys came away with a 3-0 defeat. Once that happened, we were always relying on favours from others, given that we’re not able to take care of ourselves.

‘Tottenham’s lifeline’ is how the media reported West Ham’s big defeat to Brentford yesterday. Spurs need to go to Villa Park and win in order to climb back above West Ham in the Premier League with just three games remaining.

The unknown quantity is how seriously Unai Emery will take the contest this evening as his Villa side are playing Spurs just 72 hours after their Europa League semi final first leg. The second leg is next Thursday so Emery would be within his rights to rest several of his first choice, no doubt jaded players.

Aston Villa sit in fifth place within the Premier League at present, six points ahead of Brentford so unlikely to be caught- again it would be easy to understand the Villans prioritising their semi final.

Which doesn’t help West Ham who will be desperate to see their relegation rivals lose this evening.

The one player specifically highlighted as being ‘crucial‘ to Tottenham’s creative play could well still be out injured, but Jamie Redknapp is convinced that, if they can just get him on the pitch he could be a game changer.

Spurs fan site spurs-web.com confirmed the contrast between the two relegation rivals:

“I think one thing that they [Spurs] are completely devoid of, and even more so without Xavi Simons, is any creativity. When I look at Tottenham everything is chaotic -there’s no real calmness about how they play.”

“If they get Maddison in amongst it, he is what they need right now” said Redknapp. Maddison has been absent since August of last year with an ACL tear but has been named in the last two game day squads, leaving fans speculating about his possible return to action.

During his last press conference Roberto De Zerbi couldn’t confirm if Maddison was fit enough to make an appearance against Villa, but hope remains he could be involved before the end of the season.”

West Ham fans will be sincerely wishing Maddison well but hoping he sees sense and delays his return until pre season. Nasty things those ACL injuries.

A Spurs side devoid of creativity is exactly what the Hammers will hope rocks up at Villa Park tonight.

Aston Villa V Tottenham Hotspur, k/o 7pm Sunday eve, live on TNT sports

In recent weeks, any time I’ve written about the progress of Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, or Tottenham Hotspur, there’ll always be comments urging me to focus on West Ham and suggesting it doesn’t matter what other relegation-threatened teams do, which was a fair enough point.

Over the last few fixtures, after all, if West Ham kept winning, then our destiny was in our own hands. But later today, as Spurs travel to Villa Park, the Hammers very much require a favour from Aston Villa following our 3-0 defeat to Brentford yesterday.

West Ham Now Need Results Elsewhere

In the main, I was well away from the reaction to yesterday’s sickening result, but I wasn’t oblivious to the fact that many were predicting the relegation fight was now over with title-chasing Arsenal up next.

Certainly, it’s hard to argue the balance hasn’t shifted in Spurs’ favour, but as Jimmy Greaves once said, football is a funny old game, anything can happen. If Roberto de Zerbie’s team can only muster a draw at 7pm tonight, West Ham still remain in charge of their own destiny.

Villa Park Becomes Must-Watch For Hammers

I don’t blame anybody for giving Aston Villa v Spurs a swerve tonight, but personally, I think I’ll be glued to the screen, my fingers crossed that Unai Emery’s team can perform better than they did against Nottingham Forest last Thursday night.

As for Nuno, he’ll be watching as he told reporters yesterday: “It’s going to be a big challenge for all of us with the impact of this tough day. We’ve got to look at other stadiums and see what’s going on.”

Hammers Chat my first game was West Ham 10-0 Bury . . . seriously!

We than went and bought Bury's central defender 😬⚒️ Irons

Started Hammers Chat alongside my partner in crime Geo back in 2014 and brough in to Claret & Hugh by my old mate Hughie to produce videos a couple of years later.

Give West Ham opinions on Sky Sports News and even did a bit of moonlighting on BBC Football Focus.

Sometimes feature on BBC Radio 5 Live and once ate a biscuit in Tony Gales shed.

Connoisseur of salted caramel doughnuts and I love a Sloppy Giuseppe pizza although I'm slightly suspicious where the name came from.

When I'm not moaning about West Ham I can be found walking a dog that looks like a sheep and tinkering with pinball machines.

More West Ham moaning is done on a daily basis here 👇👇

https://www.youtube.com/@HammersChatForum

Tottenham Hotspur boss Roberto De Zerbi has drawn battle lines with West Ham United ahead of what is set to be a crucial round of Premier League fixtures that could help determine who is relegated this season.

De Zerbi’s mood was difficult to read during an emotional press conference where he left reporters in no doubt about the importance of Spurs beating Aston Villa this weekend.

De Zerbi Plays Mind Games

Following last week’s win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the former Brighton & Hove Albion and Olympique de Marseille boss spoke about not wanting any crybabies in his team, which I suspect was partly lost in translation.

What he appeared to mean was that he wants fighters rather than victims, and he repeated that messaging again today.

Clear Message Sent To West Ham

“I watch on TV it is impossible and we are crying. We are relegated. Not yet and we have to die on the pitch.

“We have two points less than West Ham. West Ham have difficult games like us.

“The losers cry and think negative. I don’t want people close to me crying.”

All a bit cryptic and Cantona-esque, but we get the drift.

Nuno Taking Different Approach

The Tottenham boss wants a winners mentality and is trying to pile pressure on West Ham.

His messaging is very different to the calmer tone of Nuno Espírito Santo, who quite frankly sounds far less desperate.

I guess we will find out this weekend which preparation works best.

Hammers Chat my first game was West Ham 10-0 Bury . . . seriously!

We than went and bought Bury's central defender 😬⚒️ Irons

Started Hammers Chat alongside my partner in crime Geo back in 2014 and brough in to Claret & Hugh by my old mate Hughie to produce videos a couple of years later.

Give West Ham opinions on Sky Sports News and even did a bit of moonlighting on BBC Football Focus.

Sometimes feature on BBC Radio 5 Live and once ate a biscuit in Tony Gales shed.

Connoisseur of salted caramel doughnuts and I love a Sloppy Giuseppe pizza although I'm slightly suspicious where the name came from.

When I'm not moaning about West Ham I can be found walking a dog that looks like a sheep and tinkering with pinball machines.

More West Ham moaning is done on a daily basis here 👇👇

https://www.youtube.com/@HammersChatForum

West Ham face yet another must-win game as we head to West London to face Brentford on Saturday. However, this particular ‘must win’ would allow us to move FIVE points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who play Aston Villa later due to the Midlanders’ European commitments.

Brentford have had a decent season under Keith Andrews and comfortably beat us earlier this season, with Jordan Henderson (absent for this one) pulling the strings. The Hammers got revenge by dumping the Bees out of the FA Cup, so this one is anyone’s game. Mathematically, Brentford are still in the run-in for European places via the Premier League, but the reality is with Liverpool and Manchester City away still to play, it is going to be difficult for them.

West Ham know exactly what is at stake. Recent wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton, plus a point at Crystal Palace, have given us momentum at exactly the right time. Now it is about backing that up again and grabbing another result when the pressure is really on.

Momentum building at the right time

There is no getting away from it — this is a massive opportunity for West Ham. We sit just above the relegation zone with only four games left, and every point feels huge now.

If Spurs lose at Villa and we do the business first, the psychological blow to them could be enormous. Suddenly the pressure swings firmly onto North London.

Nuno Espírito Santo appears to have steadied the ship. Two wins and a draw from the last three games is exactly the sort of run survival battles are built on.

Team news boost for Hammers

Nuno said in his press conference that there were some small knocks, but everyone should be okay for the weekend. That is exactly what supporters wanted to hear.

For Brentford, Rico Henry, Vitaly Janelt and Henderson are doubts, while Fábio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo are ruled out.

That could be significant because Brentford are a strong side when fully loaded, but less daunting when key players are missing.

Predicted West Ham XI

I think Nuno sticks with the winning team against Everton — and why wouldn’t he?

Gonzo verdict

I think we can win this, let’s be honest, we have to. Brentford have done well this season but they are not world beaters.

My heart says 2-1 West Ham. My head says draw.

On this occasion, I’ll let the heart overrule the head.

Tottenham Hotspur really could not be doing much more to help West Ham United’s chances of remaining in the Premier League this season.

Because according to an update from Football Insider and ITK Fabrizio Romano, Spurs striker Dominic Solanke is out for the remainder of the season.

Tottenham Injury Crisis Gets Worse

The Italian journalist gave his update on X, and considering he was the same source who broke the news of Xavi Simons’ ACL injury, it is fair to assume the report carries weight.

Solanke is just the latest in a long list of absent Spurs players, so many in fact you could almost make a full team out of them.

Tottenham Player Injury James Maddison Knee Dejan Kulusevski Knee Ben Davies Ankle Mohammed Kudus Thigh Wilson Odobert Knee Guglielmo Vicario Hip Cristian Romero Knee Destiny Udogie Muscle Dominic Solanke Hamstring Xavi Simons Knee

Spurs Win Came At A Cost

Simons and Solanke were both casualties from Tottenham’s first win this year, which came in their last match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It was far from convincing, but Spurs would still have been delighted with the 1-0 victory—just not with two more names added to the treatment room.

Posting on social media, Romano wrote:

“After Mohammed Kudus, Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons, also Dominic Solanke’s season could be over.

“He has suffered a grade-two hamstring injury. Spurs expect it to be difficult to see him involved again this season.”

West Ham Watching Closely

Roberto De Zerbi’s side face Aston Villa in a crucial round of fixtures, while West Ham play first away at Brentford on Saturday.

Hammers Chat my first game was West Ham 10-0 Bury . . . seriously!

We than went and bought Bury's central defender 😬⚒️ Irons

Started Hammers Chat alongside my partner in crime Geo back in 2014 and brough in to Claret & Hugh by my old mate Hughie to produce videos a couple of years later.

Give West Ham opinions on Sky Sports News and even did a bit of moonlighting on BBC Football Focus.

Sometimes feature on BBC Radio 5 Live and once ate a biscuit in Tony Gales shed.

Connoisseur of salted caramel doughnuts and I love a Sloppy Giuseppe pizza although I'm slightly suspicious where the name came from.

When I'm not moaning about West Ham I can be found walking a dog that looks like a sheep and tinkering with pinball machines.

More West Ham moaning is done on a daily basis here 👇👇

https://www.youtube.com/@HammersChatForum

With another thrilling – or terrifying – weekend ahead depending on which team you are unfortunate enough to support, West Ham and Spurs appear the two clubs most threatened with heading for the championship at the end of May.

Leeds and Nottingham Forest, whilst not totally safe, have a cushion of four and three points respectively over the Hammers in 17th, giving themselves a little ‘wiggle room’ which will work wonders on their own supporters jagged nerve endings and finger nails.

Tottenham sit two points below West Ham, meaning the Irons ‘simply’ have to mirror Spurs’ performances for the remainder of the season to stay in the Premier League.

Tottenham’s form, unlike that of West Ham, has been dreadful since January. One win – against bottom side Wolves – by a single, late goal is hardly a ‘turnaround’: Especially with a trip to Villa Park in the offing on Sunday, its a little early for north London supporters to start hanging up the blue and white bunting.

So for former Chelsea winger turned BBC pundit Pat Nevin to claim that Tottenham now have a ‘survival mindset’ ahead of their last four encounters does seem, well, a little bizarre.

Reported by insidefutbol.com, their article suggests:

“Tottenham Have ‘Finally Woken Up’ Believes Former Top Flight Star

….it is only now that Spurs have finally woken up and smelled the very bitter coffee….

Tottenham Hotspur have now been drawn into the same survival mindset as Nottingham Forest and West Ham United in the relegation battle.”

That claim is made on the back of one solitary win in 2026. If I may be so bold I’d suggest it may be a little premature to suggest the Spuds have a ‘survival mindset’ simply because they overcame the already-relegated Wolves by a solitary goal.

Let’s see how the perform against Unai Emery’s Champions League chasing Aston Villa on Sunday before we start getting too worried about Tottenham’s magical transformation onto Premier League survivors.

Anyone who watched their efforts to break down Wolves would sense there is still a mountain to climb – especially as Dominic Solanke and Xabi Simons are now ruled out for the rest of this season.

Now, I do not expect any self-respecting West Ham United fan to be getting the violins out for Tottenham Hotspur at the moment, but having just seen a list of their injured and unavailable players, it is understandable why the club would be worried about their Premier League safety.

Because at the same time, the Hammers have been able to furnish Nuno Espírito Santo with fully fit squads for the last two games.

Tottenham Injury Crisis Deepens

Tottenham have been completely decimated by the injury curse. It would appear many of Roberto De Zerbi’s players are long-term absentees with serious injuries.

No talk of tummy bugs and dodgy lasagnas as excuses for losing this time around.

To add insult to injury, Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke both sustained injuries during Tottenham’s lucky 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.

Spurs Win Fails To Convince

If it seems as though I am being slightly disingenuous by calling it lucky, that would be fair. But the manner of their victory was hardly convincing, particularly when set beside the way West Ham and Leeds United dealt with the team at the bottom of the league.

Simons picked up an ACL injury, which will rule him out for the next seven months, while Solanke is looking at missing the remainder of the season with a hamstring injury, if early reports are accurate.

Forgotten Name Reappears

But as you will see from the list below, the absentees are quite striking and contain a name I had almost forgotten about.

Yes, former Hammer Mohammed Kudus of course joined Tottenham in the summer for £55 million.

At the time, that looked like a bad deal for West Ham.

With hindsight, perhaps not.