Ajax star Mohamed Kudus has revealed his admiration for Liverpool’s Thiago, months after trying to force through a move to rivals Everton.
Those of you who have forgotten the summer transfer window this point, which would be an easy thing to do given the cramped schedule ahead of the World Cup, may have forgotten Kudus’ saga late in the window.
Essentially, he received an approach from Everton and reports in England made it clear that a move was close to happening.
That was quickly rejected in the Netherlands, where they not only insisted Everton hadn’t even made an offer, but the player wouldn’t be leaving Ajax anyway.
A late bid from the Blues eventually appeared but Ajax were having none of it, insisting Kudus would not be leaving that late following a window in which several stars had already departed.
Kudus was less than happy with that and decided to go on strike to force through the move to Goodison Park, a trick which didn’t pay off.
He remained in the Netherlands and has been starring for Ajax since, scoring five goals in ten games in the Eredivisie and three in four in the Champions League, including against Liverpool at Anfield.
That saw him coming up against Liverpool star Thiago, a player it seems he holds in extremely high regard.
“As a child, I enjoyed his game. I love creativity and the joy of playing,” MSN report him saying to Ajax TV.
“When I played in Denmark, a friend of mine arranged a shirt of his. That was fantastic. The shirt hangs at my home, and I am very proud of it.
“Sometimes he plays on ‘six’ but then, despite his defensive duties, he does not lose his creativity.
“No matter where he plays, he always finds the balance between defending and attacking. That’s how I want to play too.”
