Mohamed Kudus needs to seriously consider leaving West Ham United and a potential move to Saudi Arabia, as neither may be the right option for him.
That’s according to Modibo Maïga, who has been speaking to Africa Foot about Kudus’ situation and offered him advice after leaving the Hammers for Saudi Arabia himself.
Kudus is expected to be one of the players who makes waves in the summer transfer window, with it reported earlier this week that he had attention from Saudi Arabia and that Al Nassr had offered €100m to West Ham for him.
Nothing has been signed or is progressing yet, but the forward has regularly been linked with a move away from the London Stadium over the last year, with it claimed in England that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham could even be interested in him.
The number of suitors may be less this year after something of a difficult second season with West Ham following an impressive first year after joining from Ajax.
Maïga knows all about the lures of Saudi Arabia after joining Al-Nassr from West Ham in a €4m deal in 2015, so is well placed to offer his advice to Kudus about such a move.
“Kudus is still very young. He still has a lot to prove at West Ham,” he said.
“He’s an excellent player, who’s going through a bit of a difficult time, as any player can. I don’t know if he’s carrying an injury or not.
“Because sometimes, a player can have a hidden injury and continue to push hard. It’s something you don’t see from the outside. For example, I played a large part of my career with a knee injury. An injury I contracted while still playing at Le Mans
“At West Ham, I was still carrying the same injury, and it’s often frustrating because you always want to give your best. That’s why, at one point, when I had the opportunity to sign for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia at 28, I didn’t hesitate.
“I don’t know if Kudus has the same problem. Because it’s not easy with the public pressure and the desire to always do better. If not, he should keep working hard. He already has the support of the coach and also his teammates. I’m sure he can be better than before if he works hard and surrounds himself with better people.
“It’s true that in modern football, things move very quickly. But he still has a while left at West Ham and at least two years in Europe. He should try to perform well again with West Ham. If the club is asking for €100 million today, perhaps his market value could rise to €150 million in the near future.”
