Tottenham winger Mohammed Kudus has seriously impressed since arriving in a £55 million deal from West Ham in the summer window, and he’s now drawing comparisons with a Spurs legend.
Kudus made headlines this summer as the first player to transfer from West Ham to Spurs since Scott Parker in 2011 — effectively ending a 14-year unofficial transfer embargo between the fierce London rivals.
The move generated plenty of buzz, and with it, a weight of expectation that Kudus has so far handled with a blend of flair, work rate and dynamism.
Since then, Kudus has set about proving he belongs at the heart of Tottenham’s rebuild under Thomas Frank.
His first telling contribution on paper came at Leeds, where a deflected low finish from the Ghanaian opened his goal account and delivered the Lilywhites a crucial 2-1 win — all whilst ending their pre-international break curse and the home side’s year-long unbeaten run at Elland Road in the league.
Used primarily as an inverted right-winger, Kudus has routinely tormented full-backs with an outstanding dribble completion rate — quickly becoming the side’s most dangerous attacking outlet.
Kudus has completed more successful take-ons per 90 than any other winger in the Premier League, according to WhoScored, and is currently the division’s fifth-best performer by average match rating.
Mohammed Kudus
3.6
Iliman Ndaye
2.7
Yankuba Minteh
2.6
Jeremy Doku
2.4
Bukayo Saka
2.3
via WhoScored
The former Ajax sensation also has five assists to show from his opening nine Premier League matches, outshining fellow new arrival Xavi Simons, who has struggled to match Kudus’ scintillating form in the final third.
The early signs are that Spurs have acquired a genuine difference-maker, and he’s now drawn a very intriguing comparison with ex-fan favourite Mousa Dembélé, even if the latter played a completely different role.
Supporters look back on Dembele and remember him fondly as a real linchpin of Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield, with the Belgian making nearly 250 appearances before he departed for the now-folded Guangzhou City in China.
Mohammed Kudus draws Mousa Dembele comparison at Tottenham
Speaking to Tottenham News, pundit John Wenham explained exactly why Kudus is a regen of Dembele at Tottenham — specifically talking about his strength on the ball.
“Kudus is like having two players rolled into one,” Wenham said.
“On one hand, he’s this tricky, skilful right-winger that gets loads of goals and assists. On the other hand, he’s like a massively powerful central midfield player.
“He’s the closest equivalent we’ve had to Mousa Dembele, in terms of the strength that he’s got and the way he holds players off, although they’re completely different players.
“Having those two abilities in one player is very, very dangerous.”
Frank has been equally blown away by Kudus since his arrival at N17, calling his one-v-one ability “crazy”.
Like Dembele, Kudus is remarkably difficult to dispossess, with the agility to spin away from challengers and the power to carry the ball through deep midfield areas or wide channels.
The feeling among coaches and analysts is that Kudus could become a more advanced and goal-threatening Dembele, with journalist Alasdair Gold also making that comparison in early October.
The sky appears to be the limit for him right now, and midfielder Joao Palhinha has some stern competition for the ‘best summer signing’ accolade as we slowly approach the halfway point of 25/26.
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