Tottenham Hotspur has finally acquired Mohammed Kudus (25). After leaving West Ham United and joining his new team, Kudus will now wear the number 20 jersey and lead Tottenham's attacking line.

On the 11th (Korean time), Tottenham Hotspur announced through the club's official channel, "We have signed Ghana national team forward Mohammed Kudus. The agreement was made conditional upon the issuance of a work permit," and they stated, "We have reached a long-term contract agreement, and Kudus has been assigned the number 20 jersey."

Kudus, who was born in the Nima area of Accra, Ghana, began his football career at the local club Strong Tower FC before entering the Right to Dream Academy in 2012. In 2018, just before turning 18, he made his move to Europe by joining Denmark's FC Nordsjælland. He recorded 14 goals in 57 matches at Nordsjælland and confirmed his career leap with a transfer to the prestigious Dutch club Ajax in July 2020.

Immediately after his transfer to Ajax, he made a strong impression by recording 4 attacking points in his first 3 matches. In his debut season, he experienced both the Eredivisie championship and the KNVB (Dutch Cup) victory, and he established himself as a key player by recording 27 goals in 87 matches. He led the league victory in the 2021-2022 season and reached a career-high by scoring 18 goals across all competitions, including 4 goals in the following UEFA Champions League season.

Kudus is an attacking midfielder with strengths in dribbling and breaking through pressure, excelling more in direct penetrations than as a playmaker. He creates space for the team by maintaining possession of the ball in various areas based on precise ball control, solid physicality, and quick speed, especially in tight spaces.

With a powerful left-footed kick, his forward passes and shots are threatening, and he contributes actively to pressing from the front. However, his ability to control tempo and playmaking skills are still developing, and injury history and inconsistency in finishing are noted as weaknesses. His overall style is similar to Phil Foden's; however, Kudus is considered to have an edge in physicality, while Foden excels in technical precision.

After transferring to West Ham in August 2023, Kudus quickly proved his competitiveness on the English stage. In his Premier League debut, he came off the bench, but in his first start in the UEFA Europa League, he made a strong statement by scoring multiple goals.

In December of that year, he was nominated for Premier League Player of the Month, and in the 2023-2024 season, he had a stellar performance, recording 14 goals and 9 assists. Especially, his fantastic solo dribble goal against SC Freiburg was selected as West Ham's "Goal of the Year" and he was nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award.

During his two seasons at West Ham, he appeared in a total of 80 matches, scoring 19 goals, and was consecutively selected as "Player of the Year" in 2023 and 2024 in Ghana.

Tottenham introduced Kudus, saying, "After debuting for the senior national team in November 2019, following his time with Ghana's U-20 team, he showcased his presence by scoring a debut goal in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against South Africa. He scored two goals in the group stage of the 2022 Qatar World Cup and has been active as a key resource for the national team in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations as well. He has recorded a total of 12 goals in 42 international matches."

The club continued, "Kudus possesses speed and direct penetration, versatile positioning capabilities, and finishing ability with both feet, making him an important asset as Tottenham prepares for the Champions League after winning the Europa League. Attention will be on what role Kudus will take under manager Thomas Frank."

[OSEN]

※ This article has been translated by AI. Share your feedback here.