Mohammed Kudus suffered another setback to stardom and a potential major transfer after his red card against Tottenham Hotspur. The Ghanian continued his sparkling form with a well-taken goal to put West Ham ahead before losing his cool in the face of a crushing defeat. Saturday’s incident could be a huge put-off for the hosts of giant clubs interested in signing the 24-year-old.

Frustrating week for Kudus

Although their last African Cup of Nations win dates back to 1982, Ghana has always been one of the best teams in the continent. But after ten successive participations, the Black Stars are in real danger of missing out on the 2025 AFCON.

The shocking 2-0 defeat to Sudan in Libya means they’re five points behind the last qualification spot with only two games left. Kudus is not the only high-profile name in the squad with Thomas Partey and Inaki Williams expected to add further threat.

Despite his captaincy role, Arsenal’s midfielder only featured in four of Ghana’s last 14 matches. Meanwhile, Athletic Club’s striker only found the net once since choosing his parent’s nation over Spain in 2022.

Similarly, West Ham failed to supply quality service to Kudus at the minute. Lucas Paquetá is currently distracted by his alleged involvement in a betting scandal. German international Niclas Füllkrug signed with huge expectations, but he couldn’t help the side with an injury layoff. 

Julen Lopetegui replacing David Moyes also failed to galvanize the East London club. West Ham only collected eight points from as many league games. The 15th-placed team’s two wins came against Premier League’s bottom four clubs, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town.

And that frustration kicked in when Kudus wrestled Micky van de Ven on Saturday. The initial three-game ban could be extended with further review. Since signing for the Premier League outfit, he only missed games during the 2023 African Cup of Nations.

Kudus needs to be more decisive in the event of a transfer

While he would rather like to continue playing, the suspension could still provide a reflection time to work on his weaknesses. That includes finding his composure in moments like Saturday’s confrontation.

He came out overly aggressive to attack the Dutch defender twice in the heat of the moment, but Kudus didn’t even get a booking in his previous 16 league matches. It’s also the first straight red card in his young career.

But there is certainly room for improvement when it comes to his performances. Kudus scored some memorable goals – a sublime scissor-kick against Brentford, a solo strike in the Europa League win over Freiburg, and a spectacular bicycle kick at Manchester City – but he only scored 10 Premier League goals in 41 appearances.

Like last season, Kudus currently sits ahead of everyone in completed dribbles. But he has yet to record an assist this campaign. Jarrod Bowen is the only Hammer in the list of top 25 key pass makers.

These basic and underlying stats tell the full story of Kudus. Although there are exceptional moments here and there, he needs to be more decisive in front of goal. His West Ham contract will run until 2028, and the release clause expired at the end of last season. It’s now up to Kudus to raise his market value aloft.

PHOTOS: IMAGO