Alan Shearer, a Newcastle legend, has showered praise on West Ham’s star, Mohammed Kudus, following the Ghanaian’s late equalizer in the Premier League showdown with Newcastle on October 8th, writes the WHZ. Shearer commended the new addition to the London Stadium’s ranks for his impactful performance off the bench in the 2-2 draw, also giving credit to West Ham manager David Moyes for the timing of the substitution.
Kudus found the back of the net in the 89th minute of the match with a powerful finish past Nick Pope. His introduction as a substitute provided West Ham with the means to regain control of the game after having been largely dominated during the second half.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer recounted the events of Sunday’s game to co-hosts Gary Lineker and Micah Richards. Shearer commented, “In the second half, Newcastle came out as a different team, pushing ten or 15 yards further up the pitch, displaying a lot more energy and outperforming their opponents for a good 40 minutes of that half.”
He continued, “Newcastle managed to score two very good goals, and Isak had a one-on-one chance to make it 3-1 and complete his hat-trick, but he hit the post. If that had gone in, the outcome might have been different. However, David Moyes made an excellent substitution, bringing on Kudus, who looked outstanding and scored a fantastic goal. Therefore, it was arguably a fair result.”
As Kudus continues to impress with his recent performances and growing recognition from the broader sports broadcasting media, it appears inevitable that he will transition from cameo appearances off the bench to becoming a regular starter in Moyes’ side. The challenge may now lie in Moyes seeing Kudus as a game-changing option from the bench, rather than a player who can influence the game from the start.
Kudus’ impressive displays in Europa League matches where he has started have not gone unnoticed. Hopefully, these performances will motivate Moyes to make a positive change in the starting lineup. With Michail Antonio’s recent struggles, Kudus could potentially replace him. This could result in Jarrod Bowen assuming a more central but fluid attacking role, while Kudus finds his place on the right wing, allowing him to cut inside onto his favored left foot.