The final time Mohammed Kudus was seen at Tottenham he was disappearing down the tunnel in shame after a purple card resulting in a five-match ban and a stern ticking off from his boss.
It had been an eventful derby recreation for Kudus. He opened with terrific zeal, inflicting issues for Pedro Porro and firing West Ham forward earlier than Spurs replied with 4 objectives inside half an hour and he misplaced his head.
First with a nasty foul from behind on Micky van de Ven, then with an indignant response within the ensuing skirmish, shoving each the Dutch defender and Pape Matar Sarr of their faces.
Julen Lopetegui frowned disapprovingly. ‘Not good for him or the crew,’ tutted West Ham’s head coach with stress rapidly gathering round his spluttering begin to the season.
He promised they might discuss, however the Hammers accrued extra factors within the 5 video games with Kudus banned than they did within the earlier 5 with him and when he returned there was no discernible uptick, actually not sufficient to spare Lopetegui the sack.
All of which performs to the conundrum on the coronary heart of Tottenham’s £55million swoop for the Ghana worldwide ahead.
Tottenham Hotspur accomplished the signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham for £55million
Kudus had an £85m launch clause and has signed a six-year contract with Spurs till 2025
Kudus scored 13 occasions in 65 Premier League appearances for the Hammers, with 9 assists
Kudus is splendidly gifted. Able to outrageous particular person brilliance positive and thrill supporters, however is it a expertise simply harnessed inside the calls for of a profitable trendy crew?
Does he have the emotional maturity to ship persistently one recreation to the subsequent? One season to the subsequent? Can he dominate a whole recreation somewhat than in unplayable purple patches?
Will all that come? He’s in any case solely 24, and Mo Salah was into his mid-20s earlier than he reached this degree of affect. Or will he all the time be erratic as artistic forwards and wingers will be? And is that sufficient in an age the place few attacking gamers are on the pitch for 90 minutes.
Lopetegui couldn’t unlock the key in time, and Graham Potter has in the end sanctioned his sale as a result of West Ham want cash to reinvest and rebuild and Jarrod Bowen is extra dependable within the place through which they each wish to play, on the appropriate of a entrance three.
In a brief profession so far, Kudus has produced one good season for every of his three golf equipment.
At Nordsjaelland, in Denmark, he emerged as a teen in a blaze of 11 objectives in 27 Superliga video games and earned a £7.8million transfer to Ajax as they rebuilt the crew decimated over two years after reaching the final 4 of the Champions League.
His first two seasons in Amsterdam had been disrupted by accidents however introduced him three main trophies earlier than his third was lit up with 18 objectives throughout 42 video games albeit no silverware.
West Ham had been satisfied sufficient to pay £38m and, after being launched gently at first by David Moyes, Kudus scored eight Premier League objectives in his debut season, the final of them an overhead kick at Manchester Metropolis.
He scored eight Premier League objectives in his debut season, the final a bicycle kick at Man Metropolis
The final time Kudus was seen at Tottenham he was disappearing down the tunnel in shame
He opened the scoring on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier than the hosts scored 4 in a row
His efficiency in that 3-1 defeat at Metropolis satisfied Josko Gvardiol to hail him as his hardest opponent.
There have been 5 extra within the Europa League, together with a spectacular solo aim on a mazy dribble down the centre of the pitch from deep inside his personal half, in opposition to Freiburg in March 2024.
Inside six months, nonetheless, issues had been unravelling. With Moyes gone, first Lopetegui after which Potter modified the kinds and shapes of the crew, and captain Bowen strengthened his maintain on the place coveted by Kudus.
Up within the stands on the day of the purple card on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was Chris Hughton, who served Spurs as a participant and a coach and had not too long ago spent two years as a technical advisor and head coach of Ghana.
‘He wasn’t very fashionable that day, however I do suppose Tottenham supporters will like him, and the gamers will know he’s proficient sufficient to make them a greater crew,’ Hughton instructed Mail Sport.
‘He has excellent technical means and nice energy on the ball, troublesome to dispossess. He jogs my memory somewhat little bit of Dejan Kulusevski, left footed with beautiful manoeuvring abilities.
‘What Kudus has is an explosive change of tempo to get away from opponents. He’s a recreation changer, little doubt. He can have these moments that make issues occur for the crew.’
Hughton’s intuition is that Kudus is greatest suited to enjoying as a quantity 10 somewhat than broad. ‘You need him in and across the field, making issues occur,’ he mentioned, recalling two Kudus objectives for Ghana in a 2-2 draw in opposition to Egypt on the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
West Ham had been paid Ajax £38million for Kudus, who was launched gently by David Moyes
Kudus scored Ghana’s second aim in an AFCON group stage conflict in opposition to Egypt final January
But he has seen each Ajax and West Ham deploy him in broad areas and agrees he’s extra comfy and efficient enjoying off the appropriate, slicing inside to threaten aim along with his stronger foot.
‘With that kind of participant it’s going to all the time be about whether or not they have the consistency recreation in, recreation out, away from dwelling and at dwelling, to have the impact you need,’ mentioned Hughton, whose tenure as Ghana boss ended after failing to make it previous the group phases of the AFCON finals within the Ivory Coast in January 2024.
Outcomes worsened after his departure although, when Ghana did not qualify for the subsequent match, which begins in Morocco in December, ending backside of the qualifying group, winless in six video games.
It means Spurs is not going to lose him midseason, however the humiliation for the 4 occasions champions of Africa left Kudus uncovered within the firing line, accused by some Black Stars followers of underperforming and ridiculed when his 96th minute penalty was saved in a 2-1 defeat at dwelling to Niger in November 2024.
Sections of the group chanted for him to overlook as he ready for the spot kick then cheered mockingly when he did, three days after elimination had been confirmed with a attract Angola.
Maybe these pressures had repercussions on his type at West Ham, the place he clashed with Lopetegui after being subbed at half-time in opposition to Brentford, early in his second season on the membership.
Then got here the purple card at Spurs with the ban prolonged from three video games to 5 by the FA, and Ghana’s failure to succeed in AFCON for the primary time in additional than 20 years.
Occasions appeared to conspire in opposition to Kudus and he appeared somewhat misplaced in East London, notably after Joseph Anang left the Hammers for St Patrick’s in Dublin.
‘I do suppose Tottenham supporters will like him,’ ex-Ghana boss Chris Hughton instructed Mail Sport
Thomas Frank has settled on Kudus instead after failing to land each Eze and Mbeumo
Anang was a back-up goalkeeper who had been on the membership since 2017. He was additionally Ghanaian, two months older than Kudus and rapidly assumed an unofficial position as a minder for his compatriot when he first arrived from Ajax.
He would chauffeur Kudus round in his VW Polo, and so they spent a lot of their social time collectively earlier than Anang’s exit in the summertime of 2024.
So, there have been mitigating components for his misplaced his rhythm and all the time the odd reminder of his expertise and joyous strategy to soccer.
After scoring in opposition to Brighton on the London Stadium in December, Kudus unveiled an elaborately carved picket elephant stool and sat on it as a part of his trademark celebration.
It had been specifically shipped in by West Ham workers after 18 months seeing him go in trying to find stools vacated by the stewards or ballboys when his objectives flew in.
This magnificent artefact was the sort utilized by the tribal chiefs of Ghana and symbolised authority, Kudus defined afterwards, however he has not been ready to make use of it once more.
He scored twice extra for the Hammers however each occasions away from the London Stadium, and he ended the season with solely 5 objectives.
Ajax constructed the crew decimated after reaching the semis of the Champions League round Kudus
There isn’t a doubt Spurs have finished thorough due diligence and are backing Frank to refine him
Tottenham haven’t been deterred. Having did not lure Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford and dominated Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace too costly, new boss Thomas Frank and technical director Johan Lange have settled on Kudus instead, prepared to place final season down as a easy blip in his growth.
The Danes now influential at Spurs can have run checks on his knowledge and had quick access to references for a participant who graduated from the Proper to Dream academy based close to Accra and progressed by way of Nordsjaelland, the Danish membership owned by the academy.
Kasper Hjulmand, who labored intently with Frank and Lange at Lyngby, was head coach of Nordsjaelland when Kudus first arrived, and gave him his debut in 2018 earlier than leaving to take cost of Denmark.
Hjulmand was succeeded by Flemming Pedersen who later labored briefly at Brentford with the B-team.
As at West Ham, the Danes keep in mind Kudus as quiet and well mannered with a supreme confidence in his personal means.
There isn’t a doubt Spurs can have finished thorough due diligence and are backing Frank to refine him as he proved he can with Mbeumo, an explosive participant with comparable qualities enjoying comparable roles throughout the entrance line.
