It was a sales pitch from Tim Steidten, West Ham United’s technical director, that convinced Mohammed Kudus to join in the summer transfer window.
When Ajax accepted West Ham’s third offer of £38.2million ($48.4m), Steidten knew he needed to work the charm during negotiations. Chelsea were the front runners and Kudus, 23, seemed destined to join them. They made an offer to Ajax and agreed personal terms with the Ghana international but the deal stalled as they prioritised the £115m signing of midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion.
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Kudus waited more than two weeks for a response from Chelsea, who were informed by Ajax that they needed time to find a replacement. The Dutch side proposed a deadline of August 18, which was later extended. During that period, an unnamed Saudi Arabian club joined the race, but talks never reached an advanced stage. Brighton also then reached an agreement in principle with Ajax but failed to do the same on personal terms.
This is where Steidten comes into the picture. Ajax and Kudus’s representatives became frustrated and switched their focus to sanctioning a move to West Ham, who expressed interest in signing him on August 6. Steidten made a convincing sales pitch, but there was only one issue: Kudus wanted to know if he would be playing alongside Lucas Paqueta, who was the subject of interest from Manchester City.
Steidten assured Kudus that he and Paqueta would play together and that he would not receive less playing time if he joined. Four months on, the 3-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers was the best example yet of Kudus and Paqueta gelling as an offensive pair. Paqueta assisted two of Kudus’s goals and they showed encouraging signs they are developing a highly effective understanding.
Since joining from Ajax on a five-year deal with the option of a further year, Kudus has registered nine goals and one assist across 21 appearances. The Ghana international has exceeded expectations; it is no surprise why Ajax inserted a 10 per cent sell-on clause. The market analyst CIES Football Observatory now values Kudus at £80million — a huge increase in value on West Ham’s investment.
Two of Kudus’s nine goals have come from outside the box. The attacker has shown it is not a fluke, with five of his 27 goals from Ajax coming from distance.
It was before the half-hour mark against Wolves that Kudus showed his attacking flair. Paqueta initiates a break and threads a pass to Kudus…
And the Ghana international advances and Wolves defender Toti Gomes keeps retreating, allowing Kudus to cut in on his left and shoot from distance…
It was a reminder of Kudus’s quality and why he will be missed in January when he represents Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“He is doing all the work for us as well,” said Moyes. “A really good boy to work with — his goals and assists are the ones that stand out. It’s a huge blow (Kudus being unavailable next month) because he scores goals and makes goals. We’re going to have to find other ways.”
| Team | Games played | Points |
|---|---|---|
17 | 39 | |
17 | 38 | |
17 | 38 | |
17 | 34 | |
17 | 33 | |
17 | 29 | |
17 | 28 | |
17 | 27 | |
17 | 26 | |
17 | 22 | |
17 | 21 | |
17 | 19 | |
17 | 19 | |
16 | 19 | |
17 | 17 | |
17 | 16 | |
17 | 14 | |
16 | 9 | |
17 | 8 | |
17 | 8 | |
Everton deducted 10 points |
Paqueta provided three assists in the win and played 50 passes. Only four of those were for Kudus, but the adage ‘less is more’ comes to mind.
When Paqueta is in possession, moments after registering an assist, Kudus surges forward and only briefly looks at his team-mate…
It is as if he has already foreseen the outcome of the move.
No player had previously scored twice in a league game at the London Stadium by such an early point in a match (the 32nd minute). As a result of Kudus’ impressive striking ability, there were various moments in the second half when the crowd urged him to shoot from distance.
He has proven popular with his willingness to work hard defensively and to deliver offensively. He is also great at winning fouls and ranks second among West Ham players for fouls won (25). Paqueta is first with 35.
Player | Fouls Won |
|---|---|
Lucas Paqueta | 35 |
Mohammed Kudus | 25 |
Jarrod Bowen | 22 |
Vladimir Coufal | 16 |
Emerson Palmieri | 15 |
Michail Antonio | 15 |
It is worth remembering Moyes patiently integrated Kudus into his starting XI, with the play not making his first league start until the 1-0 loss to Everton in October. But he responded positively with a goal in his next start, against Brentford, provided an assist for Tomas Soucek in the victory against Burnley and scored the opener in the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace.
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Kudus has helped ease the burden on Jarrod Bowen, who is set to have his best goalscoring campaign for West Ham. A noticeable tactic from Moyes is to switch Kudus and Bowen’s positions during matches.
Most of Kudus’s joy has been down the right flank, as his touch map against Wolves shows…
Kudus — and his relationship with Paqueta — will be key if West Ham are to challenge for a top-six spot or reach the latter stages of European and domestic cup competitions.
As the midway point in the season approaches, it has become clear that Steidten’s sales pitch to Kudus may prove to be his most important contribution yet.
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)