West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui has defended his decision to substitute Mohammed Kudus during their recent match against Brentford, where the Hammers suffered a 1-0 defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium. Kudus, 23, was taken off while West Ham were trailing, sparking reports of friction between the player and the coach.
Rumors circulated after the game suggesting that Kudus was unhappy with his substitution, reportedly feeling that he was frequently being played out of position. There were claims that tensions escalated to the point where staff had to intervene.
However, Lopetegui downplayed the situation, explaining that the decision to substitute Kudus, as well as Emerson, was purely tactical. “It was a tactical change, nothing more,” Lopetegui said. “When you have five substitutions, you try to make adjustments to improve things, especially when you’re behind. It wasn’t just Kudus, Emerson was subbed too.”
The coach emphasized that there was no drama behind the substitution, stating, “There’s nothing unusual here. For me, everything was normal.”
Despite the substitution, Kudus is expected to feature when West Ham face Ipswich Town at the London Olympic Stadium later today. The Ghanaian midfielder, who scored 14 goals across all competitions for West Ham in his debut season, has yet to find the back of the net this season.
After the match, Kudus will join the Ghana national team for their AFCON 2025 qualifying match against Sudan, with the camp set to begin on Monday.
SOURCE: https://dew360.net
Join our WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakDz4u9RZATWh53yC1a
