West Ham United manager David Moyes has explained why he went for the services of Ghana international star Mohammed Kudus from Ajax.
On Sunday, the Hammers announced the arrival of 23-year-old Kudus on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee, becoming the club’s fourth major summer signing following his former Ajax teammate and Mexico international Edson Álvarez, Greece defender Dinos Mavropanos and England midfielder James Ward-Prowse.
Moyes has admitted looking forward to working with Kudus, who scored four goals in six UEFA Champions League group-stage appearances for Ajax last season. He said: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to bring Mohammed to West Ham United,” said the manager. “He’s a terrific young talent, who has already shone at the very highest level for Ajax in the Champions League and made well over 150 senior appearances at the age of 23 – so it was no surprise to see so many top clubs chasing his signature this summer.
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“The fact we’ve been able to attract a player of his undoubted quality to London Stadium shows the pull West Ham have now – the Board and Tim deserve huge credit for getting this one over the line.”
Born in the suburb of Nima in Ghana’s capital city Accra in August 2000, Kudus joined the famous Right to Dream football academy at the age of ten. He spent seven years there before joining Danish club Nordsjælland at 17 in January 2018. The 5’9 player established himself as a regular at Nordsjælland. Playing as a striker or in a midfield role, he scored 14 goals in his 57 appearances across three seasons.
Kudus’ performances for Nordsjælland attracted the attention of Ajax, with then-head coach Erik ten Hag praising his ‘incredible potential’ following the then-19-year-old’s switch to Amsterdam in July 2020. That praise proved well-founded as the youngster scored one goal and assisted three more in his opening three appearances for the club.
The 2022-23 season saw Kudus take his game to a new level, with goals against Liverpool, Napoli, and Rangers in the Champions League, eleven more in the Dutch Eredivisie, and one each in the UEFA Europa League, Dutch Cup, and Johan Cruyff Shield, taking his total to 19 goals and seven assists in all competitions.