Hammers News - West Ham United FC

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.”

West Ham star Mohammed Kudus is waiting to learn his fate from the Football Association after his sending off at Spurs.

West Ham’s star boy was shown a red card for that moment of madness which saw three Spurs players floored.

The fiery incident kicked off – quite literally – when Mohammed Kudus kicked the ball against Tottenham defender Mickey van de Ven while he was on the floor.

Van de Ven jumped up, pushed Kudus and called him crazy. Kudus returned the favour with a shove but caught him in the face to make him a flying Dutchman.

After Van de Ven hit the deck, Kudus was pushed into Richarlison by Pape Matar Sarr, leaving the Brazilian floored as well.

As the Tottenham midfielder confronted the West Ham star, he took a shove to the face as well.

Initially the referee issued both Kudus and Van de Ven yellow cards.

But VAR intervened and a pitch-side review saw Kudus sent for an early bath instead.

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It means the Ghanaian missed West Ham’s win over Man United and will be banned for upcoming Premier League games against Forest and Everton before the November international break.

But things could get a whole lot worse for the Hammers and their best player.

West Ham top brass ‘sure’ about Kudus ban verdict

There was a shocking twist after the game when top former referee Mike Dean claimed Kudus faced a six-game ban for his actions.

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

Dean was proved right regarding action being inevitable as the FA hit Kudus with the charge which the Hammers appealed.

It was revealed earlier this week that Kudus will discover his fate before the weekend.

Hammers News has spoken to the club for an update.

And West Ham’s top brass are ‘sure’ about the Kudus ban verdict ahead of the FA announcement.

The spokesman for David Sullivan and the Hammers board is certain the ban will be increased further.

“It will increase I’m sure,” West Ham told Hammers News.

“I know the way the Football Association work.”

If the FA see the shove on Sarr as a completely separate offence then Kudus will face a further three-game ban.

That means Kudus would miss West Ham’s games against Newcastle, Arsenal and Leicester after the November break.

‘It will increase’ say West Ham ahead of FA announcement

Therefore he would not be available again for the Hammers until Wolves at home on December 9th.

The Hammers did have two pieces of evidence up their sleeve to support their case for mitigation, though.

West Ham are arguing Kudus was triggered by the provocation from Tottenham’s players as they surrounded him and by something a Spurs player said to him too.

It remains to be seen whether the evidence presented to tribunal lessens the ban.

Kudus and West Ham will hope he gets just one or two games extra instead of the full three.

Although the Hammers hierarchy are certain it will definitely be increased.

The ban does not stop Kudus playing for Ghana, though. So he will be able to get some games under his belt when they face dead rubber African Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger.

Ghana’s awful campaign means they already cannot qualify for the tournament.

West Ham were told by a top referee to expect Mohammed Kudus to be handed a six-game ban and now he’s about to discover his fate.

Although somewhat fortuitous. the win over Man United was made all the more surprising given West Ham were without star player Mohammed Kudus.

Ironically Crysencio Summerville, the man who ultimately replaced Kudus – once Julen Lopetegui had seen sense and brought him on at half-time – stole the show and scored as the Hammers won 2-1.

Summerville even celebrated with suspended Kudus as he sat behind the dugout to watch his teammates.

The Ghanaian was shown a red card for a moment of madness which saw three Spurs players strewn across the pitch.

It all kicked off – quite literally – when Kudus kicked the ball against Mickey van de Ven while he was on the floor.

West Ham’s best player then reacted to the towering defender calling him crazy and pushing him by returning the compliment, catching the Dutchman in the face.

Van de Ven hit the deck and Kudus was then pushed into Richarlison, leaving the Brazilian floored as well.

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West Ham told when Kudus will discover Premier League ban fate

Pape Matar Sarr was next to test Kudus. As the Tottenham midfielder confronted the West Ham star, he took a shove to the face as well.

Initially the referee did try to use common sense by giving both Kudus and Van de Ven yellow cards.

That proved to be merely delaying the inevitable, though. VAR intervened and a pitch-side review saw Kudus’ yellow cancelled and a red card produced instead.

It means the Ghanaian missed West Ham’s win over Man United and will be banned for upcoming Premier League games against Forest and Everton before the November international break.

There was a shocking twist last week when top former referee Mike Dean claimed Kudus faced a six-game ban for his actions.

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

Sure enough the FA hit Kudus with the charge which West Ham appealed.

Now West Ham have been told when Kudus will discover his six-game Premier League ban fate.

West Ham have two pieces of evidence up their sleeve

According to Hammers insider Sean Whetstone, the result of the appeal tribunal for Kudus will be announced before the trip to Forest at the weekend.

And the Hammers have two pieces of evidence up their sleeve to support their case.

“West Ham expects to find out the result of a FA appeal tribunal for Mohammed Kudus before the weekend,” Whetstone said on X.

“The Hammer was accused of “allegedly acting in an improper manner and/or used violent conduct after the offence he was sent off for”.

“Kudus was present at the London Stadium on Sunday to watch the Hammers beat Manchester United and now has already served one of his original three match game bans.

“The appeal is limited to second charge and the possibility of a further ban beyond three games. What triggered Kudus and what was said by a Spurs player will be provided in evidence to the tribunal.”

If Kudus’ ban is extended it means he would miss West Ham’s games against Newcastle, Arsenal and Leicester after the November break.

Therefore he would not be available again for the Hammers until Wolves at home on December 9th.

After the red card, Lopetegui – who had a bust-up with Kudus at Brentford – said the attacker must improve his behaviour.

Tim Sherwood has shared his utterly bizarre take on the current West Ham United situation.

When you think of knowledgable football pundits who know what they’re talking about, Tim Sherwood doesn’t really spring to mind does he?

And if West Ham fans didn’t know just how bad he was, they will do now, after his latest take on our current situation under Julen Lopetegui.

Sherwood actually urged West Ham to sack David Moyes last year, and told the owners to replace him with Marco Silva.

Perhaps he has forgotten why he was so adamant that Moyes had to go?

Lopetegui eventually replaced Moyes, and Sherwood’s take on the current goings on at the London Stadium was genuinely comical to hear…

Tim Sherwood’s strange take on the current West Ham situation

Sherwood is somehow a regular guest on the Soccer Saturday pundit panel.

He has to go down as one of the most frustrating pundits to listen to. He just spouts nonsense time and time again, but still secures punditry gigs – utterly bizarre if you ask me.

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His comments on West Ham on Saturday afternoon prove that he actually doesn’t know what’s going on at our club at all.

When speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday (October 26th, 12:47pm), Sherwood shared a truly abysmal take on West Ham.

It was put to him that things haven’t changed at the London Stadium since Lopetegui’s arrival.

And he responded, “Well something has changed, because they’re not as secure at the back, and not as organised. West Ham fans wanted a change but they didn’t want Lopetegui.“

Now, Sherwood clearly didn’t watch West Ham last season did he.

Under David Moyes, the Hammers conceded 74 Premier League goals – a tally worsened only by the three relegated teams.

West Ham were a shambles last season defensively, and despite the fact that we’ve shipped 15 goals in eight Premier League games so far this season, we’ve looked better at the back than last term.

Tim Sherwood really does come out with some rubbish at times, and his latest comments on the current situation at West Ham prove how clueless he can be at times.

A pundit who hasn’t even bothered to do his due diligence before talking about us…shock horror.

Not content with beating their rivals 4-1, Spurs have now crushed a new West Ham striker dream to dust before it even had a chance.

West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur found themselves at a striker crossroads in the summer.

Both the Hammers and Spurs needed a top quality new forward.

The London rivals were linked with mutual interest in a number of targets.

Not to mention the man Tottenham ended up signing, Dominic Solanke.

The reported £63m fee Tottenham spent on Solanke made headlines and raised eyebrows.

It also dwarfed the £23.5m West Ham paid Dortmund for 31-year-old Niclas Fullkrug.

Heading into the window with a striker signing among their top priorities, Solanke was one of West Ham’s top targets.

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West Ham had held talks with Solanke’s family over a summer move to the London Stadium.

The Hammers hierarchy were keen to show the forward how serious they were about building their new-look team around him after being impressed by the blossoming of his all-round game at Bournemouth.

Spurs hijacked West Ham’s move for Solanke and he went there instead.

West Ham chief wanted Solanke but couldn’t compete with Spurs

It was then revealed to Hammers News that Hammers majority owner David Sullivan dearly wanted Solanke at West Ham but admitted he couldn’t compete with the money Tottenham paid.

The signing of Fullkrug has been a familiar story at West Ham for all the wrong reasons.

The German made three substitute appearances in the Premier League before an injury which has ruled him out for the six games since.

There are fears Fullkrug may not return to the fold until the new year.

And he has just headed back to Germany for the second time to have injections to aid his recovery.

While the jury is out on whether Solanke will be a success at Tottenham, West Ham opting to sign an ageing striker with a long history of injuries has left the club exposed.

Michail Antonio, 35 in March, and misfit 32-year-old Danny Ings are now Julen Lopetegui’s only striker options.

It means West Ham may have to try and ship more players out to raise funds for a new forward in January or the summer – regardless of what happens with Fullkrug.

There have already been links to a number of names.

Spurs crush new West Ham striker dream to dust

Now Spurs have crushed a new West Ham striker dream to dust before it even had a chance.

Hammers News understands one player who has impressed the West Ham hierarchy is Ipswich’s Liam Delap.

The Man City academy product was excellent in the defeat to the Hammers before the international break.

He showed his strength, pace, power and eye for goal by scoring the Ipswich equaliser.

It is said West Ham board members were so impressed Delap’s name found its way onto a shortlist of potential candidates to be the club’s next striker signing.

With Ipswich in danger of being relegated, Delap – 10 years Fullkrug’s junior – would be attainable for West Ham too.

He has already hit four goals in nine Premier League games.

But despite having signed Solanke, Tottenham are already on Delap’s case.

And Caught Offside claim Daniel Levy has put the wheels in motion on a deal for the striker its claimed Ipswich value between £30-35m.

It is claimed in the exclusive story that Spurs are unconvinced about Solanke and want Delap in the summer.

So West Ham face a choice. Try for Delap in January – when it is extremely unlikely Ipswich would sell – in a bid to beat Spurs.

Or wait until the summer when Tottenham and a host of other clubs may drive the price up even further.

One thing is for certain, another new striker will definitely be needed.

Ings and Antonio are out of contract in the summer, which will free up over £200k per week in wages.

West Ham will need a new young, dynamic forward after failing to sign Jhon Duran, Viktor Gyokeres and Julian Alvarez in recent years.

Delap looks the real deal.

But Tottenham’s proactive approach means the Hammers now face missing out on the next cab on the rank.