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West Ham have been talking to the representatives of versatile England midfielder Angel Gomes but a deal is in jeopardy because of Spurs.

There has been a major development in the battle to sign Lille midfielder Angel Gomes.

It has put bitter rivals West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur on a collision course for the ex Man United ace.

Journalist Graeme Bailey revealed Graham Potter has asked West Ham’s owners to bring him Gomes.

The diminutive midfielder can sign a pre-contract agreement this month for a free transfer in the summer.

But Bailey claimed the Hammers were really pushing to give Potter what he wants.

Tottenham have been linked with 24-year-old Edmonton-born Gomes too.

However, word from agent sources in the last week has suggested West Ham looked set to win the race with Potter desperate to improve his slow, ageing, immobile midfield.

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There has even been talk the Hammers were close to agreeing a pre-contract deal to lock Gomes in ahead of officially joining on July 1st.

West Ham in talks with Gomes but Spurs put deal in danger

A significant issue has emerged which could end West Ham’s hopes of signing the Lille man, though.

West Ham are locked in talks with Gomes but Spurs have put the deal in danger.

Hammers News has had confirmation from a senior source inside West Ham that negotiations have been taking place with Gomes’ agents Gol International.

Talk that the Irons are close to pulling off what would be a major coup are jumping the gun, though.

Hammers News understands no deal is anywhere close as yet.

And the reason is because rivals Tottenham have now ramped up their own bid to bring Gomes back to London.

Tottenham had asked to be ‘kept in the loop’ over Gomes’ situation prior to the January transfer window opening.

Spurs have been deliberating making a move which might even see Gomes join them this month for a small fee rather than sign a pre-contract for the summer.

Gomes earns £11,000 per week at Lille.

So bettering his wages won’t be an issue for the Hammers or Tottenham.

However, Gomes is reportedly hoping to seal a mammoth wage of between £120k-150k per week given his status as a free agent and homegrown player.

That is within West Ham’s wage structure with Lucas Paqueta currently the club’s highest paid player on £150k per week.

Hammers News understands Spurs were informed West Ham were pushing hard to agree a deal.

And as a result Daniel Levy has made it clear to Gomes’ representatives that Tottenham are eager to sign him too.

“Talks are ongoing but nothing is close and there’s competition given his status,” a senior source told Hammers News.

“Tottenham are a big problem now.”

A player like Gomes ticks an awful lot of boxes for Potter. A midfielder who loves the ball, can hold and distribute it with ease and dictate the flow and tempo of a game.

Gomes made a big impact when he was brought into the England setup by Lee Carsley.

He is ready-made for a Potter team but West Ham certainly aren’t close to sealing a deal now Spurs have made their presence felt.

The only hope West Ham have is that Gomes realises Potter will build his team around him.

Whereas at Spurs, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray were signed in the summer with a view to being the club’s long-term central midfield pairing.

Tottenham are spoilt for choice there already with Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma all fighting for places too.

Game time will be guaranteed at West Ham, whereas Gomes faces being a squad player at Tottenham.

Much may come down to who is prepared to offer the better salary.

Any pre-contract agreement must be signed by February 3rd.

West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be chasing the same player in the January transfer window.

Julen Lopetegui and Ange Postecoglou are the two most under-pressure managers in the Premier League right now, with West Ham and Tottenham both having really struggled this season.

Lopetegui’s comments after our 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on Saturday only wound up the West Ham fans even more, rather than give us any kind of hope or faith.

Postecoglou is in the same boat at Spurs. He’s being ripped apart by some sections of their fanbase right now.

I wouldn’t be surprised one little bit if both managers were out of a job within the next week or so.

However, if they do both remain at their respective clubs, some big signings will need to be made in the January transfer window in order to help swing things back in their favour.

A big boost is needed at the London Stadium with a couple of January arrivals.

The same can be said for Tottenham, and it seems as though one player in particular has made his mind up regarding which club he wants to join out of the two this winter.

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Tottenham and West Ham chasing January window signing

Whether or not Lopetegui is still in charge of West Ham after our FA Cup clash with Aston Villa on Friday remains to be seen.

However, that’s immaterial as far as I’m concerned.

The Hammers’ main priority should be strengthening our ranks at the London Stadium before the January window slams shut.

There are so many different departments that need to be addressed.

In my opinion though, central midfield is one specific area where we’re particularly weak, and the addition of a powerful, box-to-box midfielder should be our top priority.

Since the Hammers old Declan Rice to Arsenal in the summer of 2023, we have lacked any kind of pace, power or athleticism in the engine room.

That has to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Nicolo Fagioli is one player who is said to be on the Hammers radar this winter, but Spurs are chasing him as well.

And now the 23-year-old Italian has allegedly made up his mind regarding which club he actually wants to join in the January window.

Will it be Tottenham or West Ham for Nicolo Fagioli

It appears that the Juventus midfielder is keen to join Tottenham instead of any other club this winter, according to the likes of Tuttosport.

That’s not as bad news as you might think for West Ham. We don’t have to waste our time anymore, and can now prioritise other targets.

I only want players at the London Stadium who want to play for West Ham.

Surely we’ve learnt from the Jean-Clair Todibo saga that it simply isn’t worth trying to force players to join us.

If their heart isn’t in it, it will never work out.

The Juventus star is still a very talented player nevertheless.

Described as an ‘undeniably supreme talent’ by Total Football Analysis, Fagioli has absolutely everything needed to succeed at the very highest level of the game.

That said, it is worth remembering that he received and served a seven-month ban last season after being found guilty of betting breaches.

Good luck to Nicolo Fagioli if decides to join Tottenham instead of West Ham in the January transfer window – I certainly won’t be losing any sleep over it.

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui and Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Ange Postecoglou are both on the brink as calls grow for their sacking.

West Ham put in yet another abysmal performance under Julen Lopetegui at home to Liverpool.

Meanwhile Tottenham were held at home by Wolves.

Both the Hammers and Spurs were booed off as the heat rises exponentially on Lopetegui and Ange Postecoglou.

Tottenham’s Australian boss – who was once wanted at West Ham by vice-chair Karren Brady – has faced calls for his sacking since the 4-3 defeat to Chelsea earlier this month.

After shambolic defeats to Arsenal and Leicester, West Ham fans have been calling for Lopetegui be sacked.

The hardcore away support of both clubs have also notably turned on the two managers.

West Ham and Spurs face calls to axe managers

West Ham’s owners called an emergency meeting after the Leicester defeat where replacements were discussed.

The Hammers only want someone who is willing to take over on an initial deal until the end of the season.

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As talks continued with potential candidates, the Hammers gave Lopetegui one last chance against Wolves.

The Hammers somehow won that game and were extremely fortunate to go four unbeaten before the humbling to Liverpool.

In the meantime Graham Potter agreed to step in at West Ham until the end of the season if the Spaniard is shown the door.

While Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton failed to make West Ham pay for surrendering some ridiculous chances, Liverpool were nowhere near as generous.

Spurs pile pressure on West Ham to activate Potter deal

Potter, who is close friends with the husband of West Ham vice-chair Brady, has since reportedly turned down two job offers from elsewhere.

West Ham were warned Potter won’t wait forever after the unconvincing Brighton draw.

Now Spurs pile the pressure on West Ham to activate their Potter deal with their managers on the brink.

West Ham fans were left totally bewildered by Lopetegui’s team selection for the clash with Liverpool.

Even Reds boss Arne Slot – once a target of both the Hammers and Spurs – admitted his surprise at the way the Spaniard set up.

It was a complete surrender and so it proved with Liverpool running riot and winning 5-0 in a game where it could have been double figures.

Meanwhile Tottenham were jeered as they were made to settle for a 2-2 draw at home to lowly Wolves.

Owners of both clubs are facing renewed calls from fans to sack their managers.

Football 365 claimed ahead of Tottenham’s game with Wolves that Potter is now the number one target for Daniel Levy if he pulls the trigger on Postecoglou.

Hammers majority owner David Sullivan has been more than fair with Lopetegui.

But just six wins from 19 Premier League games is not what was expected after a £155m summer spend.

After six months at the London Stadium helm, there is now sign of any identity, progress or plan at West Ham.

Sullivan holds cards in game of Potter poker with Levy

While Spurs do have a clear identity, Postecoglou’s tactics are seen as naive in the extreme, bordering on arrogance.

Now Sullivan and co face a huge decision.

West Ham know they were lucky to come away with more than a point or two from games against Wolves, Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton.

Many feel they got the hiding that has been coming when Liverpool punished Lopetegui’s tactics.

Now West Ham must decide whether they continue to tread water with the 58-year-old and risk losing Potter to Spurs.

The London Stadium was all but empty by the final whistle – for the ninth time in 19 games this season.

It could be like that from kick-off with the Hammers now facing up to a wasted season playing for nothing more than midtable medicority.

At least by beating Tottenham to Spurs, the former Chelsea boss would have half a season to show whether he is the man who can make a difference.

If Tottenham come calling they will likely be offering a longer term deal which would understandably prove more attractive to a manager like Potter, who has been out of work since April last year.

It’s a huge call and Sullivan holds the cards in this managerial poker game right now.

But Levy may be about to play his hand.

The Gavin and Stacey finale aired on Christmas day at 9pm, and West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur fans would have noticed a surprising little twist.

It seemed like the entire nation gathered around their televisions for the Gavin and Stacey finale, West Ham and Tottenham fans included.

The TV show has been a British institution since 2007 – a classic that many of us have used to help get through tough times.

Matthew Horne, who plays Gavin from Billericay in Essex, is a Tottenham fan in real life, as he is in the hit TV series as well.

Meanwhile, his best mate ‘Smithy’, portrayed by James Corden, is a die-hard Hammer.

The fact that the series has lasted 17 years in an era where new shows are released every day seemingly is testament to the quality of the programme.

There was a treat for the Hammers fans watching the finale – one that ended with a sour-tasting twist unfortunately though…

Tottenham hijack West Ham’s big moment in Gavin and Stacey finale

During the series finale last night, eagle-eyed Hammers fans would have noticed something very interesting.

Smithy began his stag do in a local pub, with all of his best mates adorned in West Ham kits from different eras.

This would obviously have been a tough thing to do for the Spurs supporting Matthew Horne, and his character Gavin of course!

However, he took a cheeky swipe at Corden – the show’s co-creator.

With all the lads gathered around the pub, the camera panned round to Gavin, and there was a surprise twist – one that was undoubtedly instigated by Horne himself.

The fact that he put a Tottenham badge over the Hammers crest actually angered me at first!

However, give him his due, it was top-class trolling of us as a fanbase at the very highest level.

Fair play to Horne is what I say. It must have been incredibly hard for him to wear the strip of one of his team’s biggest rivals.

Whilst the fact that he covered the badge with a Spurs logo annoyed me at first, I would have done the same if it had been the other way around.

The Gavin and Stacey finale was a fantastic piece of British television.

And any West Ham and Tottenham fans watching would have absolutely loved Smithy’s stag do scene.

West Ham were given great hope of signing a reported top target over the weekend but it seems Spurs are interfering.

There is no love lost between West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur, on or off the pitch.

Although Spurs showed class recently by putting rivalries aside to send messages of support to West Ham following Michail Antonio’s car crash and the tragic death of Academy starlet Oscar Fairs.

As far as Premier League rivalries go nowadays, there aren’t too many fiercer than the one shared by West Ham and Tottenham.

Both the Hammers and Spurs have bigger rivals in the shape of Millwall and Arsenal of course.

But West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur is right up there.

From dodgy Lasagnes to unofficial transfer embargoes, former players biting current ones and battles over a stadium – it’s a rivalry that’s had some interesting sub-plots.

It’s not just on the pitch and in the stands that the Hammers and Tottenham don’t see eye-to-eye either.

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Relations have been extremely frosty between the two boardrooms – particularly between West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady and Daniel Levy.

West Ham and Spurs to renew rivalries in window

That’s ever since the clubs went through the courts over an alleged spying scandal where Brady was the target.

In the transfer market Spurs got one over on West Ham in the summer.

Majority owner David Sullivan confirmed he really wanted to sign Dominic Solanke.

The Hammers even had meetings with Solanke’s family ahead of the summer window to talk about the possibility of a move.

But Sullivan conceded West Ham could not compete with the £60m plus Tottenham paid.

The jury remains out on whether that was money well spent. But the Irons certainly still need a new attacking midfielder and striker as part of an ongoing rebuild.

The club has confirmed that this week ahead of the January transfer window.

But Sullivan and co may have to go head-to-head with Tottenham again to get a player they want.

Because a Spurs star has been caught on camera sweet-talking a top West Ham target ahead of a January bid.

Spurs star caught sweet-talking top West Ham target

The Hammers have been keeping a close eye on Southampton sensation Tyler Dibling ahead of the winter window, according to Caught Offside.

The site, which gets information from Fabrizio Romano, claims West Ham chiefs “have been monitoring” Dibling’s eye-catching performances.

It is claimed the Saints have set an asking price of “at least” £20.6 million with scouts from other Premier League clubs also watching the 18-year-old.

Sky Sports News also reiterated West Ham’s interest over the weekend, stating they are one of the clubs most keen to sign the teenager.

Southampton are on course to be relegated straight back to the Championship and are vulnerable to losing Dibling as a result.

Russell Martin gave West Ham real hope of signing budding superstar Dibling before he was sacked by Southampton at the weekend.

Asked about the interest of West Ham and other rivals in his star player, Martin admitted talks over a new deal with the teenager have hit a wall.

It has since emerged that Dibling ‘feels disrespected’ by the contract offer made to him.

But Spurs might be employing some clever tactics to beat West Ham to a player seen as a replacement for Mohammed Kudus – who now looks set to depart as early as January.

Tottenham captain Son Heung-min was caught on camera after their 5-0 win over Southampton having an intimate chat with Dibling.

Agent Son works on Dibling but Hammers have big advantage

Southampton fans have suggested Son is trying to persuade Dibling to join him at Spurs.

Whether it’s underhanded or clever, West Ham have seen this themselves first hand before.

Oleksandr Zinchenko did the same thing to Declan Rice after a game against West Ham when there were rumours he could join Arsenal.

A player like Dibling is much more in line with the expectation Hammers fans had from their recruitment under technical director Tim Steidten.

If Son has been set Dibling as an assignment, then clearly the Hammers will have Spurs to compete with for his signature.

But the east Londoners would surely have the advantage.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Kudus will be sold.

Graeme Bailey has claimed that Kudus may even be sold in January as the Hammers need to raise funds to sign players, including a new attacking midfielder and forward.

Arsenal are favourites to land Kudus, who has an £85m release clause active from July but could go for £100m plus in January.

With the prospect of that kind of money coming in, the Hammers could easily afford Dibling as Kudus’ replacement.

Crucially he would be coming in at West Ham knowing he is going to play regularly and continue to develop.

At Spurs he would be up against their best and most loved player Dejan Kulusevski as well as the likes of Brennan Johnson and others.

That would suggest Dibling would be better served joining West Ham.

But he may need to be talked around if Son has got in his ear with this little chat.

Both West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur could be looking to appoint a new manager imminently.

West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui has failed to establish himself at the London Stadium, whilst Ange Postecoglou seems to have hit his ceiling at Tottenham.

A defeat away at Bournemouth on Monday night may well spell the end for Lopetegui, with the likes of Sergio Conceicao apparently being lined up to replace him.

Even if we don’t lose to the Cherries, and the Spaniard keeps his job, he’s clearly not the man we need to take us on to the next level in the long-term.

I feel like the Hammers owners have accepted that fact that as well now.

A change is definitely needed at the top, and the same can probably be said over at Tottenham now.

However, Spurs may be in a stronger position than West Ham to obtain the signature of a truly elite manager.

Thomas Frank wants Tottenham job over West Ham

There is some very bad news for the Hammers fans to digest this morning concerning one of our managerial targets.

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Thomas Frank is undoubtedly the standout managerial candidate for West Ham, after the sensational work he has done at the Gtech Community Stadium.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, the Brentford boss is a target for both West Ham and Tottenham.

However, the Bees manager would prefer to take the Spurs job.

He has been linked with the Hammers job before, but it will cost the East London outfit around £9 million to prise him away from Brentford.

In my opinion, that kind of money would still represent a bargain for West Ham – Frank is that good.

The club have no qualms about paying £25 million for an unproven 18-year-old Brazilian, so splashing out £9 million on Thomas Frank should not be a problem – a no-brainer in fact.

That said, his preference to manage Spurs will make it very hard indeed for us.

Thomas Frank has been magnificent for Brentford

The 51-year-old has worked wonders at Brentford since taking over in 2018.

Frank has overseen 109 wins from 261 games in charge of the Bees (Transfermarkt).

The Dane always ensures that his team is competitive and he deploys a highly intense brand of footall.

Brentford are a really exciting team to watch – they play with incredible speed, energy and quality.

The west London outfit are certainly punching above their weight as well – they have the second lowest wage-bill in the Premier League (Fbref).

Thomas Frank would be the perfect manager to replace Lopetegui at West Ham but unfortunately for us, it seems like he’s saving himself for the Tottenham job.

Sad times indeed for the Hammers.

The only thing I would say is that Lopetegui will probably be sacked before Postecoglou, so West Ham could try to beat Tottenham to the punch in the race for Frank’s signature.

If David Sullivan isn’t already regretting his decision to retain Julen Lopetegui as West Ham’s manager, Spurs might make sure he does.

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui is not the only Premier League manager whose own fans are calling for their head this week.

There has been growing discontent at West Ham’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

It came to a head after Spurs’ 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Thursday night with Ange Postecoglou feeling the wrath of the away fans.

They say when you lose your hardcore travelling support, there’s usually no way back.

A couple of nights before, West Ham’s own away fans let Lopetegui and the board know how they feel too.

Chants of ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ rang out from Hammers fans as they lost 3-1 at Leicester.

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The season is not panning out as supporters of West Ham and Tottenham expected with the clubs 14th and 10th in the table respectively.

West Ham’s board, led by majority owner David Sullivan, elected to give Lopetegui at least one more game after a summit meeting.

As Spurs fans turn, pressure is increasing on Postecoglou too.

Spurs pile pressure on dithering Sullivan at West Ham

He confronted Tottenham fans hurling abuse at him down at the Vitality.

Many feel it is the beginning of the end for Lopetegui and Postecoglou at the London rivals.

It means Spurs are piling the pressure on dithering Sullivan over his big West Ham decision as a clear threat looms.

West Ham revealed they felt morally obligated to give Lopetegui another game.

That match is at home against one of the worst teams in the Premier League, Wolves.

Hammers fans feel it is a pointless exercise because even if they beat Wolves, it proves nothing about the manager or the team.

Meanwhile Spurs face an in-form Chelsea 24 hours earlier on Sunday.

A chastening defeat for Tottenham against one of their fiercest rivals could have massive ramifications for Postecoglou.

But it could also have big ramifications for Hammers chief Sullivan too.

West Ham’s decision to stick by Lopetegui for now means the plethora of managers linked with them are left on the market for another club to snap up.

Tottenham threat looms for Hammers in sack race

Given the attraction of a club like Spurs – with their stadium, training ground and squad – that would present a major problem for West Ham in a straight shootout for a new boss.

If Postecoglou is fired then Spurs would suddenly become hot favourites for a host of managers reportedly on West Ham’s shortlist.

Names such as Graham Potter, Max Allegri, Sergio Conceicao and Thomas Frank have all been linked with the Hammers.

Tottenham may win the sack race, though, and it would give them first pick at any one of those.

Some would argue those managers would be stuck between a rock and a hard place when deciding who to work for between Sullivan and Tottenham’s Daniel Levy.

But if West Ham continue to stand by what most fans feel is a failed appointment in Lopetegui, then it won’t even be a choice.

Levy could make Sullivan regret standing by Lopetegui

Spurs could have free run at the managerial market.

If they went out and got the pick of the bosses available before the Hammers, it would incense West Ham fans even more.

Reports claim the sack is looming for Tottenham’s Australian boss.

That will back Sullivan into a corner and force him to make one of his biggest decisions yet.

Either stick with Lopetegui and potentially miss out to Spurs for the cream of the crop that’s out there.

Or take affirmative action in a bid to beat their rivals to the punch.

Things might be about to get very interesting indeed.

Alphonse Areola has been in really poor form for West Ham this season, and he hasn’t played for us since our 4-1 defeat to Tottenham back in October.

West Ham signed Alphonse Areola initially on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021, before making his deal a permanent one for around £8 million a year later.

His shot-stopping ability and incredible reflexes have never been called into question. However, he is far from a complete goalkeeper.

The Frenchman’s lack of authority when commanding his penalty area is a real problem, and his distribution has been quite frankly terrible this season.

It came as a surprise to nobody when he was dropped for the home game against Manchester United back in October, with Lukasz Fabianski coming into the side to take his place.

Areola has actually turned out to be a real disappointment for the Hammers as far as I’m concerned.

And the West Ham coaching staff clearly haven’t been too happy with him either.

What West Ham ace Alphonse Areola did caused real concern

If we’re all being honest with ourselves, the former PSG man has failed to hit the hieghts that were expected of him at the London Stadium.

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It’s no coincidence that we’ve conceded so many goals over the past 15 months, with Areola as our starting goalkeeper.

I actually believe that the Hammers need to sign a top-class number one, if we are to make any genuine progress over the next few years.

It seems like Areola could be on borrowed time at West Ham.

According to a report from The Athletic, it was Areola’s performance during our 4-1 win over Ipswich Town at the start of October that really raised some eyebrows.

Sure we won the game, but it must be said that we conceded a really poor goal.

Liam Delap levelled the scores after West Ham had taken an early lead in the game, beating Areola at his near post with a decently struck shot from just inside the box.

It was poor goalkeeping of the very highest order, and he followed that up with an atrocious performance away at Tottenham two weeks later.

Alphonse Areola will undoubtedly be working hard to get back into the West Ham starting lineup, but I reckon his time in East London could well be done.

Sammie Szmodics might have made himself a West Ham cult hero without ever playing for his boyhood club after what he did at Spurs.

There is absolutely no love lost between West Ham and bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

After Millwall, Spurs are West Ham’s fiercest opponents.

The Hammers are still smarting from that embarrassing 4-1 defeat at Tottenham a few weeks ago.

The pathetic nature of West Ham’s collapse in that big game is a big black mark against Julen Lopetegui’s reputation.

Best player Mohammed Kudus has missed the three games since and will sit out the next two as well after his head loss which left three Tottenham players on the deck.

West Ham went into their game against Everton this weekend amidst reports defeat could see Lopetegui sacked.

The Irons and Toffees played out a 0-0 draw labelled the worst game of the Premier League season so far.

Despite calls from fans for Lopetegui to be sacked, the Spaniard remains in post at the time of writing.

The weekend wasn’t a complete blowout for the Hammers, though.

Whenever Tottenham Hotspur lose, the sun shines that bit brighter in east London.

That’s just how it is with football rivalries.

So Ipswich going to Tottenham’s own back yard and beating them 2-1 has gone down well at West Ham.

Now it’s just got even better.

West Ham fans will love what Szmodics said after win over Spurs

West Ham fans will absolutely love what Sammie Szmodics said after the shock win over Spurs.

The Hammers were heavily linked with a move for Szmodics ahead of the summer.

The midfielder is a West Ham fanatic and even has a season ticket at the London Stadium.

Szmodics has never hidden his love for the Hammers and was flattered by links to his boyhood club in the summer.

Then with Blackburn, Szmodics was said to be a big target of former boss David Moyes.

The Scot’s departure put paid to any fairytale move, though, as Szmodics joined Ipswich Town instead.

Now he’s gone and done the next best thing by scoring against Tottenham and dedicating it to West Ham.

Hammer Szmodics scored a brilliant overhead kick to put the Tractor Boys 1-0 up at Spurs on 31 minutes.

Liam Delap made it 2-0 and Ipswich held on to seal their first win since returning to the Premier League.

With West Ham academy graduate Ben Johnson also key to the surprise victory, this was a win made in east London.

And made all the sweeter for Hammers fans on hearing what Szmodics had to say afterwards.

Star dedicates Tottenham goal to West Ham

“It felt incredible,” Szmodics expressed post-match.

“We truly deserved this win. Our performances in recent weeks have been solid, and we finally got the reward for our efforts. This venue is challenging for any team, but we worked hard for those three points.

“This is a fantastic feeling, one of my best goals in one of the best stadiums. I’ve never scored another overhead kick, so I’ll cherish this one.”

As he left the pitch, Szmodics was cheekily asked if the win held a special significance as a West Ham supporter.

His reply sealed cult hero status without ever having kicked a ball for the club.

“Of course!” Szmodics said with a grin.

“That’s for all the West Ham fans out there!”

West Ham star Mohammed Kudus has revealed his state of mind before the Spurs bust-up for which one FA panellist wanted to make an example of him.

West Ham’s star boy Mohammed Kudus was dismissed after the red mist descended in the Premier League defeat to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

A ruckus ignited when Kudus kicked the ball against Tottenham defender Mickey van de Ven while he was on the floor as he tried to tackle the Hammers man.

Van de Ven jumped up, pushed Kudus and called him crazy. Kudus then shoved the Dutchman in the face and he went to ground.

Pape Matar Sarr joined him there when he confronted West Ham’s best player who retaliated by shoving him in the face too.

Kudus was initially booked but had his yellow upgraded to red after the intervention of VAR.

Kudus was ‘stressed’ before Spurs bust-up

After the game top former referee Mike Dean claimed Kudus faced a six-game ban for his actions.

Dean insisted Kudus would be charged over the ‘separate incident’ involving Sarr.

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He was proved right as the FA did indeed bring charges against Kudus for the Sarr shove.

Hammers News exclusively revealed last week that West Ham’s owners were ‘sure’ Kudus’ ban would be extended.

Although as we stated, the club provided evidence in mitigation which they hoped would see length of the extended ban lessened.

Now the FA has announced Kudus has been hit with a fine and further two-game ban.

FA panellist wanted West Ham star hit with mammoth ban

But Hammers News can reveal it could have been a whole lot worse.

The incident has also led to speculation Kudus was ‘acting out’ due to frustrations he has with Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui.

Now we can reveal Kudus’ state of mind going into the game had nothing to do with Lopetegui, or Spurs.

And if one of the three-person disciplinary panel had got their way, Kudus would have been handed a huge ban so he could be ‘made an example of’.

Kudus says he was ‘stressed’ before the Spurs bust-up and one of the three FA panellists wanted the West Ham star hit with a mammoth ban.

Hammers News has received the full 2,500-word report of the hearing from a contact at the FA.

It reveals what Kudus said in mitigation and that one panellist wanted to hand the West Ham star a ban in excess of six games.

What Mohammed Kudus said in his ban appeal to the FA

“Kudus began his letter by apologising, stating that he was deeply embarrassed by his behaviour in the 20 seconds following his foul on Micky Van de Ven (“MVdV”),” the report reads.

“He accepted that he had lost his cool and said that his behaviour was out of character. He stated that he could not recall the events clearly, but having viewed the footage, he felt that MVdV had exaggerated the incident as there was minimal contact from him. He had only been reacting to a push from MVdV. He felt that the referee’s original decision to give him a yellow card was correct and that his actions in relation to MVdV did not merit a red card.

“As far as the Incident with Sarr was concerned, Kudus stated that after his push on MVdV, he was quickly surrounded and was pushed into Richarlison by Sarr and then into Sarr by Destiny Udogie. He was repeatedly pushed and shoved and felt intimidated.

“He accepted that he should not have pushed Sarr in the face and that his action merited a red card. However, he did not injure anyone, or use force.

“Kudus stated that his preparation for the match had been mentally and physically challenging because he had travelled for a midweek international fixture and had received various negative comments on social media. He referred to his work within the community and in his home country of Ghana, stressing how he tried to be a role model.”

FA panel were split on Kudus ban, one wanted longer punishment

In it’s written reasons for deciding Kudus will miss an additional two games – against Newcastle and Arsenal – The FA Commission said an extra three-match suspension was their starting point.

“However, the Commission was split on the number of games for which Kudus should be banned,” the report states.

“One member felt that a ban in excess of three matches would be appropriate for the incident with Sarr, in view of the following:

“The member also felt that the Commission’s sanction should include a deterrent element, sending a clear message that such public displays of violent conduct are

unwelcome.

“The other two members of the Commission, while agreeing that the Incident with Sarr was a serious offence and Kudus’ behaviour could in no way be condoned, did not consider that the matters referred to in paragraph 29 above were sufficiently aggravating to merit an increase from the Commission’s starting point. In reaching their conclusion they took account of the fact that Kudus had been jostled by Spurs players and was not solely to blame for what occurred.

“The Commission agreed unanimously that Kudus’ acceptance of the charge and his apology, which it found to be sincere, coupled with his clean disciplinary record, were mitigating factors, albeit that the dissenting member felt that they were outweighed by the aggravating factors referred to in paragraphs 29 and 30. By majority decision the Commission agreed to reduce the ban for the incident with Sarr by one match and ordered that Kudus serve a two-match ban for it.”