West Ham sign Mohammed Kudus from Ajax as post-Declan Rice spending spree continues
The Ghanaian attacking midfielder heads to the Premier League from Eredivisie giants Ajax in a deal worth around £38million plus add-ons, having been on the transfer radar of several English clubs across the summer window.
Kudus has signed a five-year contract at West Ham and will wear the No14 shirt recently vacated by Ivorian winger Maxwel Cornet, who moved to No17 for the 2023/24 campaign. His deal is said to include the option for a further 12 months, with a sell-on clause secured by Ajax.
The 23-year-old, who was also of interest to Chelsea at one stage and similarly linked with Arsenal and Brighton among others, is David Moyes’ fourth summer signing of the summer after deals for midfield pair James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez plus former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, who joined for £20m from Stuttgart earlier this week.
Transfer live blog! Follow all the latest West Ham news and rumours
West Ham have battled to strengthen their squad after the blockbuster £105m sale of talismanic captain Declan Rice to Arsenal in July, with Kudus forming part of the overall succession plan.
Kudus could make his Hammers debut on Friday night as Moyes’ side, who briefly went top of the early table after a 3-1 win at Brighton on Saturday continued their impressive unbeaten start to the new season, travel to face newly-promoted Luton at Kenilworth Road.
“I’ve been dreaming to play in a league like this since I was a kid,” Kudus told West Ham’s official website after the deal was formally announced.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment and I’m so happy to be here. But it doesn’t stop here, I want to keep going.
“I try my best to entertain the fans as I think that’s what football is all about. I’m just here to do my best and help the team. I’m really happy to be here. I will fight for the badge. I can’t wait to get started.”
On the arrival of Kudus, Moyes said: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to bring Mohammed to West Ham United. He’s a terrific young talent, who has already shone at the very highest level for Ajax in the Champions League and made well over 150 senior appearances at the age of 23 – so it was no surprise to see so many top clubs chasing his signature this summer.
“The fact we’ve been able to attract a player of his undoubted quality to London Stadium shows the pull West Ham have now – the Board and [technical director] Tim [Steidten] deserve huge credit for getting this one over the line.”
Source link
