West Ham United fans will be disappointed as Ange Postecoglou confirmed Son Heung-min and Richarlison are available for Tottenham ahead of their Premier League meeting on Saturday, October 19.
The Hammers will travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with less hope, with Spurs captain Son due to return to the squad.
Julen Lopetegui needs a second consecutive league victory, following his 4-1 triumph against Ipswich Town, to alleviate the rising pressure on his employment in East London.
His hopes have dimmed when Fabrizio Romano reported on Friday [18 October] via X Postecoglou that his attacking pair had returned.
He replied, “Yes, they are both good to go.”
West Ham United must find a method to stop Tottenham.
West Ham have not been the worst defensive team in the Premier League this season, conceding 11 goals in seven games, but they will play a Spurs side that, despite a shaky start, is averaging two goals per match.
It may come down to who can score the most goals in North London, but neither has been as strong defensively as planned, and the Irons could smell blood with Tottenham still hurting from their 3-2 loss to Brighton before the international break.
With Son back in contention to line up with Dominic Solanke and the free-scoring Brennan Johnson, the setup at Spurs is sure to trouble the Hammers’ backline a difficult afternoon.
However, Konstantinos Mavropanos has raised his game for Greece and has been instrumental in helping his country preserve a perfect record in the UEFA Nations League; perhaps there is no better moment to put the 26-year-old against a top-tier attack.
Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, and Mohammed Kudus have returned to goal-scoring form heading into the break; with Niclas Fullkrug confirmed to be absent, Lopetegui will rely on his assault to deliver once more in North London.
While Richarlison’s comeback is a small issue, Son’s return is massive. Lopetegui will need to find a method to snuff out the South Korean attacker in his own backyard to have any chance
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