Mohammed Kudus was on the transfer list of many clubs after showing consistency for Ajax over the years. West Ham United invested Declan Rice’s money wisely and brought this Ghanaian forward to London. Last season’s UEFA Conference League winners have a star-studded team and some of the best talents from around the globe.
It was not easy for Moyes to fit Kudus into the starting 11. The 23-year-old plays on the right flank and Jarrod Bowen also features in the same position. David Moyes made a few changes to his tactics and used Bowen in the number nine role. This opened up space for Kudus on the right flank. The player is now a regular in the squad and is providing the end product that the Hammers need. Let’s take a look at what this Ghanaian winger adds to West Ham’s attack.
Terrorising defences down the right flank
Mohammed Kudus has played 11 games in the Premier League and four in the UEFA Europa League for the Hammers. He is a hard worker down the right flank and likes to take on defenders. In the current season, the player averages 2.3 progressive runs per 90 minutes. It can be observed that most of these runs were directed towards the centre of the field. This shows that Kudus likes to open space for himself and make use of his left foot. His dribble success rate is on the higher side when attempting dribbles down the middle.
Wingers attract a lot of attention with their skills and often win free-kicks for their side in dangerous attacking areas. The 23-year-old Ghanaian has also won 24 fouls this season. A team like West Ham United is good on set-piece and the physical presence of some of the players gives them the edge in both penalty boxes.
Kudus’ defensive work rate is also decent and the player wins around 50% of his duels. This has also allowed him to make 14 recoveries in the final third. Most of these have been made on the flank.
Lethal finisher
Mohammed Kudus scored four goals for Ajax this season before joining West Ham United. This included a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League playoff match. At West Ham, the player has netted five goals, with three coming in the Premier League. Kudus scored a goal in West Ham’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace last weekend.
Kudus likes to take central positions and targets the left and right of the goalkeeper. His average is around two shots per 90 minutes and the accuracy rate is around 41.7%. The Ghanaian has also managed to take around three touches inside the opposition’s penalty box.
The 23-year-old Ghanaian is making a name for himself in England. He will look to score more goals and look to secure a European spot for the Hammers for the next season.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
