Mohammed Kudus
Mohammed Kudus was Africa’s outstanding performer across Europe’s major leagues this weekend, maintaining his excellent recent form — and scoring his first Premier League brace — as West Ham United downed Wolves 3-0.
In Italy, newly crowned African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen scored his first Serie A goal since early October, while Elijah Adebayo made Luton Town history, albeit in a game abandoned due to Tom Lockyer’s health emergency.
The Hammers parted with £38 million for the attacker, who was arguably the Black Stars’ outstanding performer at the World Cup last year, to make him Ghana’s most expensive player ever.
It’s consistently looked like money well spent, with Kudus’ double against Wolves this weekend taking him up to five goals in 14 league outings, as well as a further three in five in the Europa League.
Since the start of November, Kudus has taken his game to another level, having begun to translate his early-season form in the continent to the top flight. There were goals in the victory over Arsenal, the draw with Crystal Palace and the defeat by Brentford, while Kudus’ 91st-minute assist for Tomas Soucek in November trip to Burnley secured all three points for David Moyes’ side.
It wouldn’t be a stretch, however, to say that his outing against Wolves was the 23-year-old’s best performance yet in the Claret and Blue.
Kudus’ magic against the Old Gold came within 10 first half minutes; with 22 minutes on the clock, there was little to separate the pair, just after the half-hour mark, and the contest had been taken beyond the visitors, with the Ghanaian netting twice to put clear daylight between the pair.
His first left visiting keeper Dan Bentley with no chance, striking sharply beyond the stand-in stopper with his left foot from outside the box, having been found by Lucas Paqueta after a Wolves move broke down.
The finish was reminiscent of some of his finest moments with Ajax, as Kudus increasingly made a habit of leaving keepers floored with powerful, low efforts from outside the box.
“Normally, when you come with your left foot, the keeper is looking at the other corner,” Kudus told West Ham’s official site, “so I went for the near corner.
“It went in, it was a good goal, and I’m happy.”