Genuine contenders for West Ham United’s 2025 Hammer of the Year award are, to put it mildly, in pretty short supply.
In fact, when the voting opened last week, a disillusioned West Ham United fanbase largely agreed that only Jarrod Bowen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were deserving winners, with Tomas Soucek perhaps coming in at a distant third place.
That, perhaps more than anything else, sums up a highly disappointing campaign at the London Stadium.
A season in which Lucas Paqueta has toiled under the weight of a potential lifetime ban. In which Max Kilman, Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville struggled to live up to their price tags. And in which Mohammed Kudus struggled to reproduce the dazzling displays of 2023/24.
Yet, in the case of the latter, progress has at least been forthcoming, albeit far too late in the day.
Jarrod Bowen praises Mohammed Kudus after West Ham beat Manchester United
Kudus scored his first Premier League goal of 2025 in late-April’s 3-2 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Ghana international was one of Graham Potter’s brightest sparks in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham, driving forward from deep in a manner reminiscent of last season’s purposeful pomp.
And, as West Ham secured a first win at Old Trafford since Carlos Tevez pulled off that Greatest of Escapes 18 years previously, Kudus not only assisted Soucek’s opener, he also laid the foundations for Jarrod Bowen’s second-half clincher.
After pulling the ball across the goal for his towering Czech teammate to turn home, Kudus was the first to react after Manuel Ugarte had been dispossessed in his own half.
Turning on the afterburners and leaving Harry Maguire choking on his dust, the £38 million signing from Ajax then inadvertently picked out Wan-Bissaka as the fan favourite full-back marked his Old Trafford return with a match-winning assist.
Bowen was glowing in his praise for Wan-Bissaka after the £15 million summer addition set him up against Spurs. A week later, as West Ham leapfrog both Man United and Tottenham into 15th, this time it was Kudus’ turn to earn the captain’s admiration.
“I didn’t realise it was 30 passes [in the build up to West Ham’s opener]. But Tom got in the box and Mo put it on the plate to get a really good goal,” Bowen smiles.
“I think it’s just a bravery thing, a mindset thing for us to take the ball. We know we can do it. We have done it. We went to Liverpool away and took the ball really well, and on another day we would have got something from that game.
“Brighton away, we’ve done the same, and it’s not easy to go there. We know what happened with that result, but we know we can do it. As soon as we cross that line onto the pitch, it’s down to us to do it and keep the ball.”
Kudus’ work-rate impresses Hammers skipper at Old Trafford
Bowen netted for the first time in six visits to Old Trafford. He was also keen to highlight Kudus’ excellent off-the-ball work, as well as his qualities on it.
“I’d never actually scored at Old Trafford before!,” adds the captain. “There have been a few stadiums this season that I’ve wanted to score and you know me, I love scoring goals, and scoring goals and winning games is even better.
“But it wasn’t just me. It was Mo pressuring, winning the ball back, which he does so well. He works so hard to win the ball back, and then ‘Az’ [Wan-Bissaka] putting it on a plate for me and then it was down to me to finish and to have that moment in front of the away fans.”
Former Hammers boss Alan Pardew summed it up best.
Mohammed Kudus can be ‘absolutely unplayable’ on his day. The problem is, during his second season in England, days like Sunday have been far too rare. Yet, while West Ham are expecting offers to arrive from Saudi Arabia and beyond, at least Kudus is doing his best to ensure his Hammers career ends with more good memories than bad.
“To have that moment after the game where we’re celebrating three points, it’s a real special moment,” adds Bowen, Potter triumphing for only the fourth time in 17 games.
“It’s fantastic and a real big moment as we’ve had games this season, recently as well, where we’ve been leading the game [and not won]. It was so important that we got this over the line.
“We knew how important it was going to be, and we’ve spoken about wanting to finish the season on a high. You never want ‘what ifs’, you never want ‘regrets’ at the end of the season, in the time off that we get, so I think it’s so important to win today, win next week and win the following week.
“That’s been our mindset, that’s been our ambition. And we’ve done that today.”
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