As an Arsenal fan and a former Tottenham Hotspur player, Darren Bent would rather not see Chelsea enhance their already promising frontline with a deal for West Ham United ace Mohammed Kudus.
Nicolas Jackson finally appears to be smoothing out the rough edges in his game. Liam Delap is officially now Chelsea’s new number nine despite a number of pundits – Bent among them – insisting that the former Ipswich Town talisman would be better off with West Ham.
With Cole Palmer pulling the strings in behind, Chelsea are likely to be there and thereabouts in next season’s Champions League battle.
But if Mohammed Kudus swaps West Ham United for Stamford Bridge, could Enzo Maresca’s team go into the 2025/26 campaign with even loftier ambitions?
Hammers News revealed earlier this week, via football correspondent Graeme Bailey, that Chelsea had offered a host of players to West Ham as part of a proposed deal that would have seen the Ghana international move in the other direction.
Darren Bent concerned as Chelsea target West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus
Manager Graham Potter and head of recruitment Kyle Macauley turned their noses up at Jadon Sancho – the straight-talking Simon Jordan sums up the feeling around Sancho better than most – while Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Robert Sanchez and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were also floated as makeweights.
With the common consensus being that Arsenal may be heading in the wrong direction under Mikel Arteta – their points tally dropped from 89 to 74 last season – a Gunners-mad Darren Bent is understandably glancing nervously over his shoulder at an ambitious, improving Chelsea outfit.
Kudus would be yet another highly-talented footballer snapped up by the Blues with his peak years still yet to arrive and having only scratched the very surface of his considerable potential.
“The season before [in 2023/24], he was incredible. This season, he’s not been great but he is only 24 years old!” begins Bent, who scored 102 Premier League goals for the likes of Spurs, Sunderland and Aston Villa.
“Obviously, Jadon Sancho is not going to be there [next season, with Chelsea sending him back to Manchester United].
“I like Kudus. Maybe with better, more consistent players, he could be really, really good. It doesn’t surprise me Chelsea are in for him.
“Chelsea are trying to get their business done early. Delap is there. They are now talking about [AC Milan goalkeeper] Mike Maignan. If they get them [plus Kudus], all of a sudden you start to go; ‘Hmm, I don’t like what’s going on there!'”
Liverpool linked as three Premier League clubs target Kudus
There is a release clause in Mohammed Kudus’ contract saying that Premier League clubs must fork over £85 million to West Ham. The London Stadium outfit may be willing to accept a reduction on that, however, with many suggesting that sales must occur before signings can take place.
Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal have been linked as well. A source speaking to Hammers News recently claimed that three Premier League clubs have made their interest known, albeit without identifying the suitors in question.
Hammers News also understands that West Ham have identified Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier as a player capable of bringing the sort of creativity and guile the Hammers will lose if Kudus heads out the door.
Tavernier ranks among the Premier League’s best in terms of both progressive carries and passes into the final third.
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