West Ham board worry for Mohammed Kudus exit as Lopetegui saga drags on
West Ham United higher-ups worry that Mohammed Kudus could look to force his way out of the club if Julen Lopetegui is not sacked, according to GiveMeSport.
GiveMeSport sources reported on 5 December that Kudus, Jean-Clair Todibo and Niclas Fullkrug, have all developed “fractious” relationships with Lopetegui during the Hammers’ woeful start to the season.
Kudus could therefore seek a fresh challenge if the Irons board opt to keep faith in Lopetegui and the Ghanaian can’t see things improving in East London, with Arsenal and Liverpool ready to pounce [Sacha Tavolieri, 18 November].
With all three players potentially set to try and force their respective ways out of the London Stadium if Lopetegui is kept in post, the already-split Hammers boardroom are becoming “increasingly concerned”.
Julen Lopetegui sack pressure reaching boiling point at West Ham
Sacking a manager – particularly one who only signed up to a two-year contract little over five months ago – is an expensive outlay for any club to make, hence the Irons’ uncertainty is understandable.
What is certain though, is that giving Lopetegui the boot would be a much cheaper alternative than seeing Kudus, Fullkrug and Todibo leave the London Stadium for well below their market values.
Kudus in particular is the jewel in the crown having been one of the Premier League’s best players last season, with the Irons steadfastly warding off clubs keen to undercut his £85million release clause.
Fullkrug and Todibo, meanwhile, have only just arrived at the club for £27m and on a season-long loan deal respectively, with the Hammers seeing Todibo as a player they’re all-but set to keep permanently.
Losing the trio given the significant amounts spent on them would surely be unthinkable, and with Kudus showing no signs whatsoever of getting back to his best under Lopetegui, the writing is on the wall.
In other West Ham news, an Irons loanee looks set for an early return to the London Stadium after failing to impress at his new club.
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