West Ham United gem Divin Mubama has ‘zero’ chance of playing v Tottenham
Divin Mubama’s chances of playing for West Ham United against Tottenham on Thursday 7 December are “minimal to zero”, according to Claret and Hugh.
The website reported on its website on Monday (4 December) that the teenager is almost certainly not going to feature against Ange Postecoglou’s side, with David Moyes instead opting to start Jarrod Bowen out of position up front.
Instead, the 19-year-old will be named among the substitutes given the lack of options currently available to the Scotsman, but his inclusion has been labelled “pointless” after Pablo Fornals was preferred from the bench against Crystal Palace.
There is an expectation that Moyes will opt to name the same starting XI that began the clash against Palace on Sunday (3 December) with Bowen deployed through the middle and Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta providing support from the wide areas.
Not his cup of tea
It has been clear to West Ham supporters and neutrals from the start of the season that for whatever reason Mubama isn’t Moyes’ cup of tea. The Hammers boss has only called upon the teenager when absolutely necessary despite a lack of forward options within his squad.
His only start of the campaign came in the Europa League against TSC Backa Topola, where he was eventually hooked after 67 minutes having only touched the ball 15 times. But he was not the only player in Moyes’ ranks to struggle that night in what was a pretty drab performance from the entire squad.
Mubama isn’t the finished article and he is by no means the perfect centre-forward for a team like West Ham who have aspirations of qualifying for Europe again this season. However, he is equipped to play for the Irons as a number nine that Danny Ings and arguably Bowen.
The Hammers’ best performances this season have come with Bowen out wide and Paqueta in a more central role. Having Mubama in the middle would not only allow Bowen to return to his more natural position but would also add a greater physical presence through the centre of the pitch.
It doesn’t appear as though that is a change that Moyes will be making against Tottenham at least and if the 19-year-old continues to be left out, you would imagine he’ll be reluctant to extend his stay at the London Stadium.
In other West Ham news, Fabrizio Romano has shared a new update on Mohammed Kudus’ situation at the London Stadium