Highlights
- West Ham United are receiving encouraging signs from midfielder Mohammed Kudus that he would be open to joining the club.
- Kudus, who has attracted interest from other Premier League clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea, could potentially bolster West Ham’s midfield.
- Kudus has had impressive performances for Ajax, scoring goals, providing assists, and excelling in key statistical categories, making him a valuable addition to any top-five league team.
West Ham United are getting “encouragement” from £11,000-a-week “Superstar” that he would be open to a move to the London Stadium this summer, per Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.
West Ham United news – What’s the latest?
It’s been a real rollercoaster of a summer for the Hammers faithful this year, as they have had to watch the club sell their biggest star whilst potential transfers seemingly swap from being on to suddenly being back off again in no time at all.
After Declan Rice was sold to Arsenal for £105m at the start of the window, the Irons struggled to bring in any replacements, at one point holding the unwanted title of being the only side not to sign any players in the summer.
Thankfully, that’s no longer the case following the arrival of Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse for around £30m and the potentially even more exciting signing of Mexican international Edson Alvarez from Ajax in a deal worth a reported £35m.
And in even more positive news, it looks like the Conference League champions might be returning to the Amsterdam club to try and sign another one of their emerging stars, Ghanaian international Mohammed Kudus.
According to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, the East Londoners have been given a boost in their pursuit of the positionally versatile midfielder as a source has informed them that the player himself would be “open” to joining the Premier League side.
He explained the situation on Sky Sports News (via Football Daily), saying:
“We’re told that West Ham remain in talks with Ajax over the signing of the midfielder Mohammed Kudus. Plenty of interest from other clubs, which I am sure West Ham United will be very, very well aware of, including Premier League clubs as well.
“We think Brighton were close to an agreement earlier on this summer they still may be interested as well; there’s even talk of Arsenal and Chelsea being interested in Kudus.
“But, the information I am getting this morning is that one source claims that West Ham are getting encouragement that Kudus himself could be open to a move to the London Stadium.”
How old is Mohammed Kudus?
Born August 2nd, 2000, in Nima, Ghana, the 23-year-old is clearly a man in high demand this summer, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and Brighton & Hove Albion all trying to sign the Ajax man at different points in recent weeks.
It’s easy to understand why when you look at his performances for the Amsterdam side over recent seasons.
In his 30 Eredivisie appearances last year, he scored 11 goals, provided three assists, took 2.3 shots per game, maintained a passing accuracy of 87.6%, won three Man-of-the-Match awards and averaged an outstanding match rating of 7.29, per WhoScored.
The £11,000-a-week ace didn’t hide away on the biggest stage either, making five starts in the Champions League, scoring four goals, providing two assists, winning one aerial dual per game and averaging an even better match rating of 7.34, also per WhoScored.
His displays last year can’t just be put down to good fortune either, as his underlying numbers are absolutely fantastic and suggest that were he given a chance, he could likely replicate at least some of his output in a top-five league.
According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across what they consider the next best eight competitions, the 5 foot 9 “superstar” sits in the top 1% for non-penalty expected goals, pass completion and successful take-ons, the top 2% for non-penalty goals, and the top 4% for total shots and touches in the opposition’s penalty area, all per 90.
Described as a player that “can make the difference with and without the ball” by temporary Ajax manager John Heitinga earlier this year; if David Moyes and Co can get this deal over the line, then their summer business will start to look a lot more positive.
