Why Everton want to bolster midfield with Ajax youngster Mohammed Kudus

 

Demarai Gray saved Everton from a third successive defeat to kick off the Premier League season as his late equaliser rescued a result against Nottingham Forest on Merseyside on Saturday. The Toffees will have been happy with a first point of the season having lost to Chelsea and then Aston Villa to kick off the campaign, yet they need to turn Goodison Park back into a fortress in order to stave off relegation. 

 

Everton remain in the market for a striker following the sale of Richarlison and ongoing injuries issues of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but they have added solidity to the defence and midfield in the summer. Conor Coady, James Tarkowski and Amadou Onana all add steel in key areas of the pitch, the former duo also bringing Premier League experience at the heart of the defence. 

 

Even at this stage of the summer transfer window, Everton are targeting more central midfield additions, even if they do need a forward. Ajax may be perplexed at reports linking Mohammed Kudus with a move to Merseyside, but there is plenty to be excited about over rumours suggesting the Toffees will land the 22-year-old. 

 

Ajax will be eager to retain Kudus' services following Ryan Gravenberch's move to Bayern Munich in the summer in order to retain their strength in depth, but even so; there are no guarantees the youngster can nail down a spot in the midfield for the Dutch side. There were high hopes for the Ghana international following his 2020 arrival from Danish outfit Nordsjælland, and he started well in the Netherlands. 

 

However, Kudus succumbed to a meniscal injury in October 2020 and by the time he returned to fitness, then Ajax boss Erik ten Hag had settled on a prominent midfield trio of Gravenberch, Edson Alvarez and Davy Klaassen. Even last season, Kudus started just four league games for Ajax on their way to another Eredivisie title, yet even in his limited time on the pitch, he showed just why he remains so highly thought of at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. 

 

 

One of Kudus' best strengths is his ball carrying ability. For any central midfielder nowadays, there is a greater onus on bringing the ball forward from deep and Kudus is no exception. Of those to make at least 10 Eredivisie appearances last season, only Denilho Cleonise (6.6) completed more dribbles per 90 than Kudus (5.2), though the former did only register 177 minutes of game time for Twente. 

 

A glaring weakness of Everton's last season was the lack of a central midfielder to routinely progress the play with the ball at their feet. Andre Gomes (1.7) was their most regular dribbler of central midfielders in the Premier League last season, but even then he made just 14 appearances and registered only 619 minutes of game time. In terms of midfield regulars, Allan (0.9) topped this metric. 

 

Now under Frank Lampard, the Everton boss is favouring a three-man backline and the idea is for the wingers to carry this progressive threat, but in time, this will become far too easy for opponents to counter and, as a result, hinder the Toffees attack. With Kudus in the midfield, Lampard would have at his disposal an alternative route to goal that would allow Everton to attack through the middle and out wide, and this flexibility would make it harder for opponents to deny the Merseyside outfit when they push forward. 

 

In addition, Kudus would bolster the Everton midfield with the Ajax man returning 2.2 tackles per 90 in the Eredivisie last season. Clearly a handy ball winner, and tough to stop when he gains a head of steam, he'd be the ideal midfield partner for Amadou Onana in a duo that could ultimately prove vital in helping Everton keep their Premier League spot. 

 

Unlike Antony, who has been heavily linked with a monster move to Manchester United once more, Kudus was included in Ajax's squad as they travelled to Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday, replacing Brian Brobbey with 15 minutes to play, but with the promise of regular game time, the player himself may seek to secure a summer exit in order to gain minutes ahead of the November World Cup. If Everton can indeed get this one over the line, then in Kudus and Onana they'd have a midfield that should, in theory, dominate relegation rivals.

Why Everton want to bolster midfield with Ajax youngster Mohammed Kudus