As West Ham continue their game of transfer chicken with Tottenham over Mohammed Kudus, I canât help but notice the striking similarities with the ongoing situation surrounding Nayef Aguerd.
In both cases, weâve got players clearly seeking a move away from the London Stadiumâyet both have only attracted lukewarm interest from buying clubs. Sure, Kudus has a release clause and Aguerd doesnât, but each has an unofficial valuation that so far hasnât been met.
Spurs continue their tyre-kicking exerciseâscratching their chins, taking exaggerated inhales of breathâbefore submitting a derisory offer. But is that really any different from Marseille bidding under ÂŁ15m for Aguerd or Real Sociedad floating a loan deal?
In many ways, it’s Aguerd who West Ham should be more urgent about selling. Heâs 29, likely at his peak, and on a shorter contract than Kudus. Yet the clubâs approach to the two situations has been very differentâand perhaps thatâs part of the problem.
Aguerd has been told to report for pre-season, informed that any bid under ÂŁ25m will be rejected, and made aware that Graham Potter plans to use him. No-nonsense stuff!
Meanwhile, Kudusâwho has a fixed ÂŁ85m buyout clause that nobody has come close to activatingâis being quietly lined up for sale, while Tottenham dither.
It begs the question: why not apply the same robust stance to both players?
Levy is going too low and too slow with Kudus offersÂ
Time to get tough with Spurs
David Sullivan should end negotiations with Spurs and publicly state that Kudus is expected back at Rush Green on Monday, ready to integrate into Potterâs plans. If Levy wants him that badly, he can activate the clauseâotherwise, move on.
Letâs be honest, much of this is about ego. Levy wants a bargain. Sullivan doesnât want to look like heâs been outmanoeuvred. But West Ham are no longer in a position to beg.
With three billionaires on the board and Aston Villa showing how to create PSR room with creative solutions (like selling their Womenâs team stake), West Ham should be able to comfortably fund any shortfall themselves.
Tottenham wonât pay ÂŁ85mâfair enough. Kudusâs form alone doesnât yet justify it. But if West Ham take a hard line, either Levy improves his offer, or Kudus staysâand the Hammers rebuild his value to that ÂŁ100m player he was once tipped to become.
Kudus playing another season on the left isnât going to sell at the end of next season for ÂŁ85m and he wonât be playing on the right this season. Any fantasists who believe otherwise please explain it to me.
Saul, Kudus has said himself he prefers to play as a 10. Play him there. He’s pony on the left, and Somerville is back to make that spot his own. We can’t give him away, so play him off a striker and hope he gets his mojo back.
Hi gonzo. The issue isnât PSR itâs cash flow and we havenât got any hence the sell to buy speech from the owners.
Kudus is under contract,simple as. Rather keep him than sell for 60m and then waste of players we know nothing aboutâŚ
Agree with the comments,pay up or he stays end of
Absolutely correct Gonzo! If the spuds want him they have got to pay the price, rather see him in a West Ham shirt next season than a spud shirt unless we get what we want!!! Sullivan is acting like a poor manâs Starmer than a CEO of a Premiership club, can we ask him to act like he may know what he is doing?
Well said Gonzo. We should be building not shifting our best players out. Why donât we back Potter and build on what we have, we have the money. Kudus could fetch us 85 million next season, weâve seen what he could do under Moyes.
Aside from the release clause, I’d guess there were conversations when we signed Kudus agreeing that he would give us a couple of years and then we wouldn’t be unreasonable about letting him move on. He got a PL shop window and we got a VERY highly rated player for about ÂŁ35m.
Less likely there was anything like that with Aguerd.