Chelsea failed in an attempt to sign Tottenham’s new £55m ‘top-class’ star Mohammed Kudus earlier this summer, according to reports.
Kudus joined Spurs from West Ham in July and has shined since his switch to north London, conjuring up two assists on his Premier League debut for his new club on Saturday in a 3-0 win over Burnley.
Spurs head coach Thomas Frank has already labelled Kudus’ one-on-one skills and ability to create opportunities as ‘top-class’ following his arrival.
It has now emerged via The Sun that Chelsea saw a player-plus-cash bid for Kudus rejected by West Ham before he moved to Tottenham.
Why did Chelsea miss out on Kudus?
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Kudus was said to be ‘high on Chelsea’s list’ and the Ghana international had even agreed personal terms before Spurs hijacked the deal.
Chelsea and West Ham did not strike an agreement with the Blues offering £20m plus Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for Kudus.
The west London club felt Dewsbury-Hall was worth £30m – but West Ham did not agree with their valuation – and only saw him as a £20m player.
Spurs then swooped in with an initial offer of £50m, which eventually went up to £55m after West Ham negotiated a slightly higher price.
Kudus ended up agreeing terms with Spurs and the rest is history as Chelsea eventually sold Dewsbury-Hall to Everton instead for £29m.
Tottenham icon Ledley King says Kudus is a ‘great signing’ for his former club after Chelsea missed out on the player.
‘Mohammed Kudus looks [like] a great signing,’ King told BetMGM. ‘From what I’ve seen, Spurs have signed a very exciting player.
‘I was really impressed with him at West Ham – when Spurs beat them 4-1 at home [last season], he was their best player by quite some margin before he got sent off.
‘He’s one of those players who looks like he can cause problems whenever he gets the ball.
‘Hopefully with a bit of support around him, he can take his game to the next level and help Spurs progress.’
Former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, meanwhile, told football betting site BetVictor: ‘I thought Kudus was very bright [in the Super Cup defeat to PSG].
‘No [James] Maddison for most of the season is a huge blow for the team and for the lad himself, I was gutted for him.
‘Kudus has come in, though, and I think he could be a very, very good addition.’
