Chelsea’s loss revealed to be Tottenham’s gain as £55m star finds himself under the scanner

Chelsea rejected Mohammed Kudus before Tottenham swooped in

Given Kudus’ impact at West Ham, Tottenham were not just the only club interested in his services. Bitter London rivals Chelsea were keen too and had held talks with the Hammers over the player. However, the Blues cooled their interest after the Ghanaian made a strange request during negotiations.

According to journalist and podcaster Simon Phillips, Kudus told Chelsea he was keen to be used in the No.10 role just behind the striker. This is despite the 24-year-old being heavily used as a winger for West Ham last season, and a position he has where he has shown the best form of his career to date.

The Blues have Cole Palmer operating in the No.10 role over the last two seasons and performing brilliantly, so they pulled away as guaranteeing Kudus regular playing in that position would have not been possible. This supposedly opened the door for Spurs to swoop in and lure the Nima-born talent away from the London Stadium.

Chelsea’s loss is Tottenham’s gain

Indeed, Chelsea’s loss is Tottenham’s gain, and credit to Daniel Levy and Co. to lower the asking price for the prolific attacker. The North Londoners managed to get one of their summer’s prime targets, adding a versatile player to Thomas Frank’s ranks. Frank will be expected to get the best out of Kudus, who can operate anywhere across the front line.

If the Lilywhites accepted Kudus’ request to play as a No.10 before signing him, then James Maddison’s position in the team is in trouble. Healthy competition within the squad is required for Tottenham to compete well on all four fronts next season, and the acquisition of Kudus has added that in the attacking ranks.