West Ham News: C&H

West Ham fans won’t need reminding of the recent cringeworthy Mohammed Kudus medical. As the doctor conducted a faux physical inspection for Tottenham’s media team, he pressed his stethoscope against the Ghanaian’s heart, prompting Kudus to quip: “If you look, you’ll find Tottenham in there.” Crikey mate, pass the bucket.

But it now seems the former Ajax man’s heart wasn’t always beating for Spurs. It’s been revealed that Kudus actually wanted to swap West Ham for Chelsea.

According to The Sun, the Blues made a cheeky player-plus-cash offer earlier this summer. Their bid? A lowball £20m plus Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall — rated at £30m by Stamford Bridge chiefs before moving to Everton for £5m less. Unsurprisingly, West Ham weren’t interested.

What makes it more awkward is that Kudus was reportedly very keen on the move to Stamford Bridge and had his heart (the same one that presumably beats for Tottenham) set on a switch to west London.

Did West Ham dodge a transfer bullet?

Having seen Dewsbury-Hall in action for Everton against Leeds United last night, I’m not convinced he was much of a miss. Chelsea ended up signing Jamie Gittens instead of the Starboy — and the rest is history.

Kudus, meanwhile, left West Ham for Spurs of all clubs, with Daniel Levy eventually lowballing David Sullivan into a £55m deal. The move still leaves a bitter taste in my morning bowl of Frosties.

The Ghanaian has already made an instant impact for Tottenham, registering two assists on his Premier League debut in a 3-0 win over Burnley. Brentford boss Thomas Frank has already branded him “top class.”

Indeed, the former Ajax man is a fine player and if you look inside his heart you’ll find Tottenham . . . an evidently a few others too.

After the Mohammed Kudus negotiations you’d think that West Ham’s boss David Sullivan and Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy would like nothing to do with each other for at least another 15 years: Hence the surprise to find a report published tonight suggesting the very opposite, as West Ham are apparently ‘considering a shock move’ for one of Tottenham’s more established players who is approaching the last twelve months of his contract and therefore, quite possibly, available at a decent price.

sportwitness.co.uk’s article confirms that Tottenham’s Mali international Yves Bissouma is the player of interest to West Ham:

“West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur have been involved in one deal so far this summer as Mohammed Kudus joined Thomas Frank’s side in a big money move….There’s now the possibility of the two clubs being involved in another transfer. Gazzetta dello Sport report the player in question is Tottenham’s Yves Bissouma.”

Juventus had apparently been in the mix for Bissouma, which is the reason for the Italian Press interest. “Over the past couple of weeks, the Italian press have reported Bissouma is valued at around €15m to €20m by Tottenham, who are open to a sale.” continues their report.

Bissouma of course moved from Brighton in June 2022 and so worked under Graham Potter. Nevertheless, it does seem a nonsensical story to me, Alvarez and Potts between them are more than capable defensive midfielders – and with Soucek, Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse still on the books, do West Ham have space for yet another until they’ve managed to offload players?

You’d think not.

West Ham Exclusive: Kudus Transfer Request Forced Spurs Move  West Ham News: C&H

Talk of West Ham attempting to charge Tottenham Hotspur a so-called “Spurs tax” over the sale of Mohammed Kudus is completely laughable.

Not that I’d disagree with the concept, you understand—after all, it was Spurs who once let it be known that they’d no longer do transfer business with West Ham.

So, if the Hammers hierarchy decided to respond with a tit-for-tat ‘Tottenham tax’, I’d completely understand it. In fact, I’d defend the club’s right to charge them more. But let’s be clear—that’s not what’s happening here.

Despite various reports, including one from TalkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs, suggesting a conspiracy is afoot, I don’t believe it for a second.

The theory goes that, due to historic tension and London rivalry between the clubs, West Ham are demanding more from Spurs for Kudus than they would from any other buyer.

It’s nonsense.

Kudus has an £85 million buyout clause—that’s his actual price to everyone any club is welcome to activate it. However, it’s widely accepted that West Ham would settle for a £65 million offer.

Tottenham’s problem isn’t a mysterious surcharge—it’s the fact that they’ve offered nothing close to what West Ham are asking. Yet rather than pay the going rate Spurs would seemingly rather imagine there is some pricing conspiracy against them.

Personally, I’d rather West Ham walk away and either keep Kudus or sell him to Chelsea. The fact Spurs are now briefing the media and playing the victim, simply because they can’t sign someone else’s player for the price they’d prefer, is ridiculous.

The Kudus transfer should be one of the easiest of the summer: the player wants to leave, there’s a clause in place, and the fee is well known. Simple!

The only issue? Daniel Levy just doesn’t want to pay the price.

West Ham have received a shot across the bows this morning, with a veiled warning that Tottenham Hotspur may not be willing to raise their bid for Mohammed Kudus.

Now, I’ll admit—I may be putting two and two together and arriving at five. But a lot of the noise coming from transfer circles suggests Spurs chairman Daniel Levy isn’t interested in a drawn-out haggle over the West Ham winger.

London Stadium sources are staying tight-lipped on anything Kudus-related, but Claret & Hugh have this morning spoken to a senior transfer contact—someone who has worked on deals involving both clubs.

Officially, West Ham are still insisting that no formal bid has been made for Kudus. Unofficially, it’s widely believed a £55 million offer has been lodged.

When we put the question directly to our transfer source—”how much would Spurs need to bid to get Kudus?”—the answer was telling: “IF they go higher. I think they will but it’s not guaranteed, this is all part of the game”

That comment came at the same time Tottenham sources began leaking that the club have now turned their focus to Nice striker Evann Guessand.

Bluff & Bluster? Classic Levy haggling? Probably. But one thing’s for sure—Daniel Levy is playing hardball with David Sullivan, and it remains to be seen whether West Ham will hold their nerve or cave under pressure.

This could all just be public haggling—but it certainly feels like the Kudus saga is entering a decisive phase. That said, West Ham bosses have to be prepared to walk away from this because not too many will complain if Kudus remains in East London rather than moving North.

West Ham United are believed to have rejected a second offer for winger Mohammed Kudus.

The latest bid is reported to have come directly from Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy, with TBR Football suggesting that the offer was immediately turned down by the Hammers.

Details around the deal are currently thin on the ground, but it’s believed Spurs offered £55 million plus undisclosed bonuses—still well below West Ham’s valuation.

It’s worth noting that only yesterday, Claret & Hugh spoke to a top club source who denied any offer had been made by Spurs at all. In fact, the London Stadium insider was adamant that no bid or official approach had come from the North Londoners.

So, news of a second offer—if true—would mark a significant shift, but as it stands, nothing has been officially confirmed by West Ham.

That said, while West Ham have publicly valued Kudus at £85 million, it’s privately accepted that the club would likely agree to a deal closer to £65 million.

Even if the reported Spurs bid is accurate, it still falls well short of the figure needed to get a deal done for the Ghanaian international.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly growing increasingly confident they can pressure West Ham into accepting a lowball bid for Mohammed Kudus.

That’s according to TalkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs, who’s been all over the Kudus story from day one.

In his latest update, Jacobs reports that Spurs view Kudus as “top quality,” but believe West Ham can be haggled down from their original asking price. He also claims the Ghanaian has been offered to both Manchester United and Chelsea, though it’s Tottenham who currently appear to be leading the race for the winger’s signature.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is said to be quietly confident he can seal a cut-price deal in the region of £60 million.

With West Ham’s pre-season kicking off next Monday, Kudus is expected to report back to Rush Green alongside his teammates—meaning time is running out if Tottenham want to get the deal wrapped up quickly.

One thing is certain: if Kudus moves across the capital and lights it up in North London, West Ham fans will never hear the end of it.

A few reports are circulating today suggesting Tottenham Hotspur are ready to test West Ham’s resolve with an offer for Jarrod Bowen.

Daniel Levy reportedly enquired about the player last season, and was informed that the starting price was £150m. The West Ham favourite had previously signed a seven year contract tying himself down to 2030, and the hefty valuation was a clear message that Bowen was not for sale.

One can only imagine the conversations Bowen would have with his father in law – Danny Dyer regarding these developments if they were true!

It has also been suggested that Spurs are preparing a low ball offer for Mohammed Kudus. I have already covered the player in two separate articles. While it is no secret he is available for sale, it will only be at the right price and offers of £50m have already been swiftly rejected from at least two other clubs.

Amidst these wild transfer rumours, C&H wanted to put to bed the reports regarding club captain Jarrod Bowen and a Tottenham bid. So this morning we approached a senior source at West Ham who confirmed that the reports linking our star player to Spurs are “100% utter nonsense!”

As the saying goes, “today’s news is yesterday’s chip paper” indicating that the transfer landscape is ever changing, and there will no doubt be more sensational rumours throughout the summer.

I have been a season ticket holder since the late eighties, so experienced the highs and lows of being a West Ham supporter. I previously wrote for OLAS and have contributed to a number of football publications in the past.

Picking a fight with former Arsenal Manager Arene Wenger is fine by us. The Hammers vice-chairman Karren Brady has defended Spurs and Manchester United’s positions in a caustically – worded article in her weekly Sun column. This came last Friday after Wenger suggested neither of the two English sides deserved to be in the Champions League next season (as is the right of whichever prevails in the up and coming Europa League final.)

Reported in Spurs-Web.com ( yes, I admit I don’t normally read the Sun), it appears that :

“Karren Brady has emerged as an unlikely defender of Tottenham Hotspur after Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger suggested that the Lilywhites do not deserve a place in next season’s Champions League.”

Even though the two clubs who could qualify for the top competition in Europe are indeed Spuds and Manure, having fought their way to the final through abominable league form (probably partly created by playing twice every week owing to the demands of the Europa League) the winners surely earn their Champions League spot and the huge cash reward that goes with it.

Two weeks ago, former Gunners manager ‘whingeing’ Wenger suggested neither were good enough for the Champions League.

Brady is quite right – imagine if the Hammers had triumphed in the Europa League a couple of years ago only to face the same snooty comments from the insufferable Wenger about not being good enough for the Champions League. Sorry Arse, rules is rules.

In any case, watching either of those two awful Premier League sides get battered into an early exit from next year’s Champions League group stages would be something to look forward to whilst the Irons have spectacularly failed to land European football again.

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen is a transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur, as confirmed by TBR Football today.

Claret & Hugh reported the Spurs interest on Tuesday, and it now appears to be gaining traction as the North Londoners look to put a poor season behind them.

Much like West Ham, Tottenham are planning a major summer overhaul, with chairman Daniel Levy under severe scrutiny following a disappointing campaign. Head coach Ange Postecoglou’s demeanour has shifted from cheeky chappie to visibly depressed, as Spurs have struggled near the foot of the table.

That said, they’ve still been better than West Ham and have targeted Bowen as a potential signing who can make the difference.

However, they’re probably better off looking elsewhere — because while almost every player at the London Stadium is available for sale, Bowen isn’t one of them.

Speaking to a top source this morning, C&H were told Spurs or anyone else had “No chance” of signing the Hammers captain. We were also reminded that Bowen is only 18 months into a seven-year deal — and, in any case, “Tottenham or anyone else couldn’t afford him.”