What’s Been Said?
It’s probably little to no surprise there’s been quite a bit about a player that’s shone at the World Cup. The Daily Mail has reported recently that the Ajax player will be looking to force a move in January, which does fall in line with recent reporting. The most notable and reliable comment came from David Ornstein of The Athletic earlier in December and the Mail article does feel like a slight regurgitation. “Mohammed Kudus has a firm desire to leave Ajax in January and teams from the Premier League, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 are watching closely. The Premier League is Kudus’ first-choice destination and operating in midfield is a key factor.” So much to break down on this one…
What Does He Bring?
The 22 year-old primarily deals in the most valuable and attractive of commodities: goals. Aside from his two strikes for Ghana in Qatar, it’s his club form that will have drawn admiring glances from Europe’s biggest sides. Kudus’ versatility marks him as a stand out too with the ability to play anywhere across the front line and even an attacking midfield role (it would likely have to be on the right side of our midfield). The majority of his performances have come up front for Ajax, so it’s a surprise around the midfield operating quote from Ornstein. A predominantly left-footed player who possess flair, close control, acceleration and an eye for goal, LFC analysts will no doubt have marked him out as one to monitor.
Stats and Information
On a base level, the Accra native ticks all the boxes with an impressive ten goals and two assists in 979 minutes for his club this campaign. In the Champions League group stages, Ajax’s failure to qualify for the next round cant be attributed to him in anyway after notching four goals and two assists. His performance at Anfield alone drew admiring glances with a rasping strike off the inside of the crossbar to equalise and the ability to hold up play interlaced with a few tricks and driving runs. Kudus’ contract runs to 2025 and as a reported lower earner at the Amsterdam Arena, wages shouldn’t be an issue.
His underlying stats for 2022 make for highly impressive reading, with his shot volume (96th percentile), Non-Penalty xG (99th percentile) and touches in the box (97th percentile) evidencing why Liverpool have sent scouts to watch him. The 22 year old profiles well against any of our current crop, although as the majority of this is based in the Eredivise that does have to be taken into account.
Realistic?
There’s a combination of factors at play and from an attacking perspective that point to this being a move that makes sense. With Luis Diaz set for an extended spell on the sidelines and with Diogo Jota ‘in the timeframe’ but reportedly out til late February, a front three of Salah, Firmino and Nunez suddenly looks pressured. A rumoured price tag of approx £35 million, a player that reportedly wants to make the move to England and the attributes he bring makes this attractive to us on so many levels. The positional quote from Ornstein and Klopp’s preference to find solutions within mark this as a real possible, if not probable at the moment. If Liverpool don’t move though, another club will. Let’s see if that makes it a ‘Luis Diaz type’ one that Ljinders mentioned recently.
