Kudus threatening to make the WRONG transfer choice
Milan Keskin
- Updated: 28 Jul 2023 07:01 BST
- 5 min read
Mohammed Kudus has a career-defining move to make this summer, with Arsenal and Chelsea both vying to sign the Ajax striker.
The prospect of Kudus remaining in Amsterdam beyond the end of the transfer window appears very small, with leading clubs having battled for the Ghana international for months.
EXCLUSIVE: Kudus prefers Champions League Arsenal move over Chelsea
As FootballTransfers exclusively revealed, the 22-year-old has prioritised a move to Arsenal over Chelsea. However, according to data from SciSports, a move to Stamford Bridge is a better idea.
Kudus would like to play Champions League football and Chelsea did not qualify or the competition last season. Indeed, earlier reports had indicated the versatile attacker might want a move to Stamford Bridge. That's not necessarily untrue, but given the choice between the two clubs, he prefers the Gunners. Personal conditions are most likely not an obstacle.
Arsenal Transfer News Today: Kudus makes CRUCIAL transfer decision & Arteta readies squad CULL
Chelsea a great fit for Kudus
According to SciSports' Career Advice Tool, Chelsea is one of the better clubs for Kudus. With a Club Fit of 72, the west London club is in ninth place.
What is particularly striking about the suggestion of going to the Blues is that he would get the opportunity to get on the field more. Although there are players who can operated as a No.10, like Christopher Nkunku and Conor Gallagher, who may yet leave, none of them consider this role their preferred position. As a result, Kudus could earn more minutes under Mauricio Pochettino.
The playing style of Chelsea and Kudus also fit well together, as SciSports suggests. The biggest disadvantage for Kudus seems to be that the development opportunities at Chelsea are limited: although he has virtually no competition for his position at the club, there are also few players from which he can learn something.
The formation doesn't suit him very well either. Incidentally, Pochettino, who took over this summer, is known for playing with 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, which would fit in well with what the dribbler is used to from his time at Ajax.
Arsenal has a Club Fit of 63 for Kudus, according to SciSports’ data, making it seem a much less good destination than Chelsea.
A positive thing about a transfer to North London is that the formation suits Kudus perfectly (Ajax and Arsenal both mainly played 4-3-3 last season) and that the development opportunities are good. With the presence of Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, who just signed from Chelsea, there are plenty of players from whom Kudus can learn.
However, therein lies the biggest problem: due to the fierce competition, the chance of playing time at Arsenal is estimated to be very low for Kudus. The Ghanaian has competition from the aforementioned Odegaard and Havertz, but also Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira can also play in the No.10 position. The FootballTransfers algorithm estimates that only the latter is less advanced in its development than Kudus.
As a result, Kudus, who is fixed at Ajax until mid-2025, seems to be able to make few minutes in the Emirates Stadium.
The playing style of the physically strong Ajax player also does not fit well with that of the North London club.
Kudus would do well to consider all this before making a final decision over his future.
