Mohammed Kudus may not have had the explosive start to the season under Julen Lopetegui many expected. Nonetheless, his exceptional skills and performances have earned him recognition from top-level Man City defender Josko Gvardiol.
He was quoted as saying “If we talk about a player that I struggled with then I would like to say that last season it was Kudus from West Ham.”
Kudus’s combination of brute strength and ability to cause problems for opponents made him an instant hit last season for West Ham. I particular his dribbling and long shooting set him apart as he racked up some pretty serious numbers.
The Irons managed to retain Kudus despite interest from other clubs and there was a huge sigh of relief inside The London Stadium when his £85m buyout clause elapsed at the end of June.
The fact that someone as talented as Gvardiol picked out Kudus as one of his toughest opponents is both good and bad news. Let’s just hope that Pep wasn’t paying too much attention to his defenders comments.