Tottenham Hotspur have finally addressed one of their most glaring attacking weaknesses, the lack of a true one-on-one specialist, by landing Mohammed Kudus from West Ham. New boss Thomas Frank seems to have made the Ghanaian his priority, and it’s easy to see why.
Why Kudus?
Put simply, Spurs have lacked a player who can consistently beat his man and create chaos. Kudus brings that edge. He’s not just a good dribbler, he’s one of the best in the league.
Last season, only Jérémy Doku (107) completed more Premier League dribbles than Kudus (92). On a per-90 basis, Kudus (3.2) trailed only Doku (6.4) among players with 1,000+ minutes. The difference? Doku played for ball-dominant Manchester City, averaging 71.9 touches per game. Kudus, at counter-attacking West Ham, had just 52.2.
He’s fearless too. Kudus led the entire league in dribble attempts (195), and nearly 13% of all his on-ball actions were dribbles. He succeeded 47.2% of the time, among the better rates for high-volume dribblers. For context, Spurs’ most frequent dribbler last season, Dejan Kulusevski, had the worst success rate (31.9%) among those who attempted 100 or more.
Spurs’ Dribbling Woes
Tottenham as a team attempted the most dribbles in the league last season (790) but ranked just ninth in successful ones (308). Their overall dribble success rate (39%) was the worst in the division. In short, they tried often but failed more. And no player truly stood out.
Djed Spence and Timo Werner, now both out of the picture, were their most productive dribblers per 90. Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert are promising but inconsistent. The rest of the attack under Ange Postecoglou was built around speed and directness rather than skillful penetration.
Frank clearly sees Kudus as the missing piece. While Spurs had plenty of pace, no team had more players among the league’s top 40 in max speed, what they needed was someone who could do more with the ball in tight areas.
What Kudus Brings Beyond Dribbling
Kudus didn’t exactly set the world alight statistically last season, five league goals and three assists, but his underlying ability remains elite. One red flag is that none of his 40 progressive carries that led to shots or key passes ended in a goal or assist. He was the only player among 47 to suffer that fate. Still, much of that can be chalked up to West Ham’s lack of cohesion by season’s end.
The 2023/24 season tells a more promising story. Kudus produced seven goal involvements from 49 attacking carries, a sign of the creative explosiveness Spurs hope to unlock again.
With Frank’s history of elevating attacking players at Brentford like Bryan Mbeumo, Ivan Toney, and Yoane Wissa, there’s optimism he can do the same for Kudus.
Where Will He Fit?
Kudus is versatile. He can play anywhere across the front line and has even operated in central midfield. At West Ham, he was often shifted around due to Jarrod Bowen’s fixed role on the right.
Ideally, Kudus sees himself as a No. 10. But at Spurs, that’s a crowded space with James Maddison, Kulusevski, and new arrival Morgan Gibbs-White all eyeing central roles. The left flank is stacked too, with Son, Odobert, and Tel in rotation.
That leaves the right wing as his most likely spot, and it happens to be where he’s most effective. Last season, Kudus had better per-90 numbers on the right compared to the left, more touches, shots, box entries, chances created, and final-third regains.
His preference to cut inside on his stronger left foot or burn defenders down the outside gives him unpredictability that defenders struggle with. On the left, his game becomes more one-dimensional.
So?
Tottenham conceded 65 goals last season, the second-worst among teams that didn’t get relegated. That was largely due to their overly aggressive, all-out attacking approach under Postecoglou.
Adding a player like Kudus could help shift that balance. If he can beat defenders on his own, Spurs won’t need to overload the box every time they attack. That could help them control games better and defend better too.
Kudus didn’t have a standout 2024/25, but his ceiling is high. If Thomas Frank can get the best out of him, Spurs may have just solved one of their most persistent problems with one signing.
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