Mohammed Kudus: Is Ghana's World Cup hero ready for a big move?

Milan Keskin

• 28 Nov 2022 16:25 GMT
• 4 min read

Mohammed Kudus has impressed in Ghana's first matches at the World Cup against Portugal and South Korea. The Ajax attacker has been of interest to some leading clubs for months, but is he really ready for a step up?

Kudus was close to leaving for Everton last summer. The Premier League club wanted to sign the midfielder and offered him a healthy deal. The Ghana international was convinced, but Ajax refused to cooperate.

This came as an obvious disappointment to Kudus: "It's not that this is my first season with Ajax, it's my third," the attacker told The Guardian . "So if I'm not seeing the progress I'm looking for, why not try something else?"

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In retrospect, Ajax's call turned out to have been a good decision. Alfred Schreuder decided to move Kudus from the midfield and give him a chance in the forward line. Although that took some getting used to for the 19-time international, he soon found his way.

Kudus has proven to be a technically skilled player, but also one who has a nose for goal. The former Nordsjaelland player has played 21 times for Ajax this season and scored 10 times. Kudus even managed to bench Brian Brobbey in the Champions League. The 20-year-old signed from RB Leipzig for €16.4 million last summer, but mainly has to make do with cameos.

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Kudus also looks back on the past six months with satisfaction: “I play, score and help my team, and it's great. But I am happiest when I am creating things for the team.”

With this, the attacker actually hints that he would prefer to play in the No.10 position at Ajax. Yet not everyone agrees. According to Kenneth Pérez, Kudus is in the wrong position.

“I don't think he's good enough to press for such a position. I think he should be more on the right side," said the analyst during ESPN 's WC Talk programme. "Like Hakim Ziyech, he was not quite in the middle either. You don't have such a responsibility for putting pressure on the side. But it is now clear that he is an unparalleled talent."

Is Mohammed Kudus ready for a top club?

Top clubs are already lining up for the Ghana star. The only question is whether Ajax wants to let the attacker go at all during the January transfer window. The Amsterdam club is in a crisis of form and can make good use of Kudus' qualities in the race for the championship.

Should Kudus be able to play an important role in Ghana's success at the World Cup in the coming weeks, there is a good chance that the striker's market value will only increase. Ajax know that not everyone can be kept in Amsterdam.

Data from FootballTransfers shows that Kudus currently has a market value of €8.5m. This amount is expected to only increase in the coming weeks.

Borussia Dortmund, Milan, Juventus, Everton and also Tottenham Hotspur would like to sign Kudus in January. Is the attacker actually good enough for a step higher?

The data from SciSports shows that Kudus is currently still short of the highest level. The data shows that the striker would currently have to settle for a reserve spot at Tottenham Hotspur, but could evolve into a rotation player in due course. This shows that Kudus is just not good enough for the top of the Premier League.

Everton, on the other hand, could fit the attacker. The data shows that Kudus can eventually become a permanent fixture with the Toffees.

SciSports also show that Kudus scores particularly well statistically as a centre forward, especially in the fields of dribbling and finishing. In addition, his multi-functionality can certainly come in handy in the Premier League.

Thanks to his past as a central midfielder, Kudus also knows how to hold his own defensively as a centre forward. He is not averse to defending and puts pressure immediately after losing the ball. Because of these qualities, Kudus can be an added value for every club. The only question is who will strike in January?