Tottenham boss Thomas Frank expects Mohammed Kudus to be met with venom, not warmth, when he walks back into the London Stadium this weekend.
The Ghanaian playmaker spent two seasons dazzling in claret and blue before making the controversial switch across the capital to Spurs in the summer. His exit left a bitter taste, some West Ham supporters branded him a “snake,” while others went as far as torching his jerseys in protest.
“You don’t think they will applaud him? Maybe not,” Frank told reporters with a wry smile ahead of the London derby. “I’m pretty sure players and myself hear the extra noise but then you get into your zone. I’m sure it will be the same for Kudus and anyone in a hostile atmosphere.”
Kudus, meanwhile, has wasted little time settling at Spurs. He announced himself with a sparkling Premier League debut, setting up two goals, and has since become a trusted pillar of Frank’s system.
West Ham, by contrast, have stumbled badly at the start of the campaign. But Frank insists his star midfielder must blank out the noise and concentrate on his football.
“The thing he should do is focus on his game. That is what you can control,” he stressed.
During his time with the Hammers, Kudus racked up 19 goals and 13 assists in 80 appearances, numbers that underline exactly why his departure still stings in East London.
