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West Ham continue to struggle under Julen Lopetgui, only managing one point over the weekend against Brentford, drawing 1-1 with the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The Hammers have averaged just 44.1% possession so far this season, the sixth worst in the league, showing the struggles West Ham are having to implement Lopetegui’s more possession-based approach.
West Ham sit 14th in the Premier League, only scoring six goals in their opening six games, conceding ten times and only managing the one victory, which came against Crystal Palace.
The Hammers could do with an injection of attacking flair and creation, and one of the very best nearly joined them not long ago. He is now even out scoring both Jarrod Bowen and Mohamed Kudus.
Mohamed Kudus at West Ham
In August 2023, West Ham signed Mohamed Kudus from Ajax for a mega £38m fee, signing a five-year deal at the club.
In his first season at the club, the forward was electric in claret and blue, making 45 appearances, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists for his new side.
Kudus was heavily praised after his strong debut season for the Hammers. However, he hasn’t got off to the quickest of starts this season, playing eight games, totaling 521 minutes, and only having one goal contribution (one assist).
There are even rumours now of an alleged conflict between Kudus and Lopetegui, with The Athletic explaining how words were exchanged between the pair in the dressing room after he was substituted last weekend.
West Ham really need the Ghanaian to find his shooting boots if they are to fire themselves up the league, but it could have been very different if they signed a certain “one man show” as described by scout Jacek Kulig.
When David Moyes wanted to sign Cole Palmer
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham had agreed a deal to sign Cole Palmer in the summer 2023 window, before he eventually made his £42.5m move to Chelsea. David Moyes reportedly “tried very hard” to get the deal over the line.
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast’s One That Got Away series.
Palmer is now valued at a mighty £75m according to Transfermarkt, after his stellar campaign for the Blues last season.
The 22-year-old made 45 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring 25 goals and providing 15 assists, wiping the floor with everyone at West Ham, including that man Kudus. So, how do the pair compare in 2024/25 to date?
|
Palmer vs Kudus (24/25) comparison |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Palmer |
Kudus |
|
Goals |
1.07 |
0.00 |
|
Assists |
0.71 |
0.17 |
|
xG |
0.66 |
0.11 |
|
xAG |
0.57 |
0.13 |
|
Progressive Carries |
3.04 |
5.64 |
|
Progressive Passes |
5.54 |
2.36 |
|
Key Passes |
3.04 |
0.73 |
|
Shots Total |
3.04 |
2.76 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
5.00 |
2.91 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
||
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
Well, it’s night and day really. Palmer is outperforming Kudus in almost every metric analysed here, the only one the West Ham ace comes out on top in is progressive carries, which isn’t unexpected due to his playstyle being more centered around his carrying ability and use of his speed and power.
On the other hand, the England international is more precise with his movements and actions, making key passes, creating for himself and others, and delivering final actions with high efficiency, as seen from his goal and assist numbers.
Palmer just broke a Premier League record last weekend too, scoring a ridiculous four-goal haul in the first half of a game, something that has never been done before in the Premier League.
This is the level of player we are talking about here, and West Ham very nearly had him. Instead, they ended up with Kudus, who is an excellent player, and is bound to hit his stride soon this season, but imagine if they had signed Palmer instead, what could have been.
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