Julen Lopetegui has confirmed Mohammed Kudus was withdrawn at half-time for tactical reasons as West Ham drew 1-1 with Brentford on Saturday (28 September).
The 24-year-old winger was massively involved during the opening 45 minutes, threatening Mark Flekken’s goal and charging down the left flank, but he did not return to the pitch for the second half.
Instead, Kudus was replaced by Carlos Soler ahead of the second half, with Emerson also making way after picking up an early yellow card, being substituted for Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Taking to X [28 September], Evening Standard journalist Dom Smith wrote: “Lopetegui says he took Kudus off tactically. Not injury related.”
Mohammed Kudus replaced for tactical reason as West Ham United draw v Brentford
Whether Kudus was performing to his best ability or not, it seems like an incredibly risky decision to hook one of the Hammers’ most threatening wingers at the half-time break.
It is certainly fair to say fans have not witnessed the same Kudus who hit the ground running at the London Stadium last season, with zero goal contributions in the league so far.
He notched eight goals and six assists in the Premier League last season, becoming one of the crucial members of the forward line alongside Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta.
However, Lopetegui needs to get the best out of him if the Hammers are to rise up the Premier League table and away from the relegation zone, having only claimed five points from a possible 18.
The London side will next come up against Ipswich Town, which will be seen as a must-win, especially with upcoming games versus Tottenham and Manchester United.
Luckily for Lopetegui, he has new signing Crysencio Summerville at his disposal, who should be able to take advantage of Kudus’ lack of form in the coming games.
