Tottenham Hotspur made Mohammed Kudus their second new signing of the summer, announcing his transfer from West Ham United via their website and on social media. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder is signed on a six year contract which will keep him in Lilywhite for the bulk of his peak years. He is also the first Tottenham player signed from West Ham since Scott Parker in 2011.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74171347/1832910833.0.jpg)
Kudus joins Tottenham for what was reported to be a fee “in the region of” £55m, though the details and structure of the fee were not announced at the time of this article’s writing. There is likely to be performance-based escalators in the fee in addition to a base amount of money. News of the transfer emerged yesterday, and Kudus completed his medical at Tottenham’s training complex on Thursday.
Kudus is a prolific and successful dribbler, and while I would hesitate to compare him to the great Mousa Dembele, he has a low center of gravity and is very difficult to dispossess. This should add a new dynamic to Tottenham’s midfield that they haven’t had in a while. He’s able to play both as a winger and as a central attacking midfielder, which should give Thomas Frank some flexibility in how he’s used.
The fee is substantial, and the fact that he emerged as one of Tottenham’s top targets this summer speaks to the importance Frank and the recruiting staff feel he can bring to the side. It’s a lot of money, but Kudus could also bring a lot of juice to the squad as Tottenham seek to improve on their dismal 17th placed finish from last season.
Spurs are almost certainly not done in the window — even if you factor in what will likely be an announcement of Morgan Gibbs-White tomorrow. They’ve already added Japan international central defender Kota Takai this summer, and have made the loans of Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel permanent. There’s a lot more to do, both in terms of incomings and outgoings. But this a major piece secured.
Don’t blame me, I voted for Kudus!