West Ham make it clear they will laugh in Mikel Arteta’s face amid new Arsenal Mohammed Kudus claim
The message from the London Stadium couldn't be clearer, nor more dripping with defiant amusement: Mohammed Kudus is going nowhere, and any notion of Arsenal prising him away would be met with outright derision.
Fresh off the painful but record-smashing sale of Declan Rice to the Gunners last summer, West Ham United finds itself facing familiar overtures. Reports linking Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal with a renewed interest in their electrifying Ghanaian star, Mohammed Kudus, have been met not with anxiety in East London, but with incredulous laughter.
Why the mirth? It stems from pure, unshakeable confidence and a drastically changed landscape.
Kudus, signed for a club-record £38m only last August, hasn't just settled in; he's exploded. His dynamic dribbling, eye for goal (13 in all competitions), and game-changing ability have made him an instant icon. He’s not merely a player; he’s the embodiment of West Ham’s ambitious new direction under Tim Steidten.
And that's where Arsenal's apparent interest hits a brick wall built of cold, hard financial reality and Hammers' resolve. Club insiders, according to sources close to the situation, find the links "laughable" and "completely detached from reality." The reason? A staggering £85 million price tag.
This figure isn't just a number; it's a statement. It’s West Ham roaring that they are no longer a selling club on the cheap. The Rice windfall provided financial muscle and a lesson: if you want our crown jewels now, especially one just arriving and shining so brightly, you pay a truly prohibitive, game-changing premium. There is zero pressure to sell, zero indication Kudus is agitating to leave, and every intention to build around him.
Picture the scene: any tentative Arsenal enquiry met not with negotiation, but with dismissive chuckles echoing around the London Stadium boardroom. The idea that Arteta could simply return a year later and pluck another key pillar from West Ham’s structure, especially one performing at Kudus' level, is viewed as sheer arrogance or profound naivety.
West Ham holds all the cards: a player under a long-term contract, thriving in the system, adored by fans, and viewed as "completely untouchable" this summer. The notion that Arsenal could waltz in with anything less than an earth-shattering, FFP-shattering bid – which they are highly unlikely to sanction – is, quite simply, a joke.
And this time, West Ham are the ones laughing loudest. They’ve drawn their line in the sand, placed an astronomical fee on their prized asset, and are ready, with a wry smile, to tell Mikel Arteta and Arsenal exactly where they can go. The days of easy pickings are over. Mohammed Kudus remains a Hammer, and any suggestion otherwise is just noise met with deafening, dismissive laughter in E20.
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