West Ham: Kudus now victim of 'classic Moyes' decision at the London Stadium

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·25 September 2023

West Ham: Kudus now victim of 'classic Moyes' decision at the London Stadium

West Ham United manager David Moyes now has plenty of options to choose from in midfield and attack, and journalist Paul Brown has explained to GIVEMESPORT why Mohammed Kudus is yet to start in the Premier League for the Hammers.

A young player like Kudus might take some time to settle into life in England.

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Kudus, who is reportedly earning £90k-a-week in the capital, signed for West Ham from Ajax during the summer transfer window for a fee of £38m, as per Sky Sports. The versatile youngster has had a slow start to life at the London Stadium, but he recently made a huge impact in the Europa League for the Hammers. The Ghanaian enjoyed an impressive performance against TSC Backa Topola, scoring his first two goals for the club, giving Moyes something to think about ahead of their trip to Liverpool on Sunday.

It was an almost perfect performance from Kudus in the Europa League, and the 23-year-old may have been expecting to be handed a start at Anfield in the Premier League. However, Moyes felt Kudus was only worthy of a place on the bench for the Hammers, coming on late in the game to replace Michail Antonio.

Kudus does have some tricky competition for places, with the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, and even James Ward-Prowse performing well in similar positions to him at the moment. A fantastic performance against weak opposition in the Europa League might not be enough for Kudus to convince Moyes to give him a starting spot in this side, so the former Ajax man may have to do more to impress his manager.

This is classic David Moyes - Paul Brown

Moyes is known for his old-school ways as a manager, and it's not a huge surprise that Kudus hasn't come straight into the side. The Scottish manager will be hoping Kudus can work his way into the XI by showing what he can do on the training ground and in the odd performance in other competitions.

Brown has suggested that Moyes likes to integrate players slowly and asking Kudus to make the step up from playing in the Europa League to playing against Liverpool might be too much to ask. The journalist adds that the standard in Europe will be similar to what Kudus is used to from his previous clubs. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said...

"I wasn't that surprised really, no. It's classic David Moyes and he does like to integrate players very gently when they come into the squad. Playing a team like Liverpool is a big step up from the Europa League, which is essentially a competition that Kudus is more used to. That's a game that he'd be much more comfortable in because it would have been a game more like the ones he played for his previous club. Liverpool is whole different kettle of fish."

Kudus' versatility will make him a useful squad option for Moyes. The Ghana international can come into the side in a deeper midfield role, upfront, as well as out wide, but he certainly won't be over the moon with being used as a 'super sub' during his time at the London Stadium. Brown previously told GIVEMESPORT that Kudus could become one of the best signings of the Moyes era, but we're yet to see signs of that due to the lack of game time.

When will David Moyes give Kudus a Premier League start?

West Ham's next Premier League fixture is against struggling Sheffield United, who most recently shipped eight goals to Newcastle United. The Hammers also play Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, which could be an excellent chance for Kudus to impress before their game against Sheffield United on Saturday.

After a reasonably good start to the campaign, it could be an ideal opportunity for Moyes to tinker with his side a little and try and find room for Kudus in his starting XI. There's no doubt he has the ability to change a game and get fans off their seat - a unique trait which not many of his teammates have.