Heroic West Ham loanee emulates Freddie Potts as he rescues his team yet again

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The evergreen Tomas Soucek is not the only West Ham United footballer with a ‘supersub’ gene, it appears.

Soucek equalled an 18-year-old Premier League record when scoring off the bench against Burnley recently. Having also found the net as a substitute against Newcastle a week previously, the West Ham United colossus drew level with former Liverpool, Aston Villa and Portsmouth ace Patrik Berger as the most prolific Czech footballer in the competition’s history.

And while he may no longer have the legs to patrol the midfield from the very first whistle, Soucek remains a ‘nightmare’ for opposition defenders.

Especially when entering the fray late on, with a result in the balance. Popping up in the right place at precisely the right time inside the penalty area.

Speaking of popping up at the right place at the right time, Gideon Kodua is proving on loan at Luton Town that he has quite the knack for decisive late goals himself.

And after Kodua put through his own net away to Barnsley last week – a 5-0 drubbing at Oakwell the first major setback of the Jack Wilshere era – his 83rd minute strike against title-chasing Bolton Wanderers was just about the perfect riposte, both for he and the Hatters.

West Ham United’s Gideon Kodua is becoming Luton Town’s hero

As the ball dropped loose in a crowded Bolton penalty area, it will have come as no real surprise to the travelling Luton supporters that it was Kodua who snatched a point away to a side many consider to be the League One title favourites.

The West Ham loanee has now scored four goals as a Luton player, after all.

And two of those have come in the depths of stoppage time. Saturday’s came in the 83rd minute. In total, Kodua himself has secured four extra points for Luton, while also saving the Bedfordshire outfit from an FA Cup upset against non-league Forest Green Rovers.

Kodua won and converted a penalty against Blackpool off the bench to keep Michael Bloomfield in a job for a few more weeks earlier in the campaign. And, once his former Wycombe coach finally lost his grip, the versatile wideman then saved Wilshere’s blushes with a thumping 92nd minute winner in a 4-3 FA Cup thriller at Kenilworth Road.

Jack Wilshere indebted to Kodua after Bolton Wanderers salvage mission

By his standards, that 83rd minute equaliser at Bolton came about pretty early in proceedings.

But while Luton have the option to sign Kodua permanently in 2026, the 21-year-old with a knack for late heroics is becoming quite the favourite at the League One outfit.

“Credit to the staff,” a gracious Wilshere said after Kodua converted an assist from fellow substitute Millenic Alli.

“I asked them to think of what we could do and how we could change it. We got three players on [from the bench] that we knew were dangerous.

“I talk to the squad all the time about giving as much as you can until you can’t give anymore. [We] have got players on the bench who are hungry, and you saw that today.”

Former Arsenal youth coach Wilshere knows Kodua’s talent all too well.

The ex-England international was at the helm when Kodua captained West Ham to FA Youth Cup glory in 2023. A 5-1 thrashing of Wilshere’s Gunners side, with the standout moment a sublime lob from long range by a player he now has at his disposal for Luton.

“I don’t want to talk about him!” Wilshere joked shortly after taking over for his first ever senior managerial role.

“He was excellent in that [Youth Cup final]. And the first time I saw him, I said ‘hello’ to him. He was all shy and I said, ‘don’t forget what you did to me.’

“He started laughing. But in that game, actually last season as well [during his loan spell at Wycombe], when someone breaks your heart like that, you follow their journey. I thought he had an interesting season last year and it’s definitely a season for him to kick on.

“He has the ability to. We need to get him positions more where he can show his ability, but he’s very exciting.”

Kodua the latest loanee to shine after Freddie Potts at Portsmouth

Talking to Luton Today at the beginning of August, meanwhile, Kodua admitted that there were a number of reasons why he decided to embark upon a move which could become a permanent transfer in the relatively near future.

At 21, and with his contract running down, he may feel that he may have missed the boat at West Ham. Then again, he is younger than Freddie Potts, and it is only now – at the age of 22 – that the former Wycombe and Portsmouth loanee is playing first-team football for his beloved Hammers.

Potts’ emergence should act as an inspiration to all West Ham loanees from here on out.

“I’m nowhere near my ceiling, that’s why I’ve come here,” Kodua said. “To improve, just better myself and showcase myself to the Luton fans and to the world really.

“My family are happy. They’ve steered me in the right direction also, always helping me along my journey, keeping me calm when I’m not, and just doing literally everything they can to help me. I just want to prove myself, or prove to myself that I can really do this and get to the next level and where I want to be.

“Basically, just showcase myself really.”