With Thomas Frank taking charge of the proceedings at Tottenham Hotspur, he is set to guide the North Londoners into a new era, one that will be beyond Ange Postecoglou’s high-speed positional approach and rather one that relies on compact structures while deploying flexible mid-blocks and putting in intelligent transitions. And this is exactly why I think the current summer transfer window is a bit crucial for the Lilywhites as Daniel Levy looks to hand his new head coach all the needed resources to succeed at N17.
Many names have been called for, especially in the rumour mill, but one that has stood out lately has been that of West Ham ace Mohamed Kudus.
Whilst he is currently playing at Olympic Stadium, he has adapted quite swiftly to the pace and power of the Premier League, and his versatile profile, complemented with his technical skill set and that direct approach with the ball, has made him an exciting option for the English top-tier elites, especially for someone like Tottenham, who are in dire need of bringing in an adaptable attacker to the current roster, someone who has the capacity to thrive in tighter spaces while also being efficient in transition, whilst adding verticality to the framework that Thomas Frank wants to deploy at N17.
But that being said, the equation arises – should Tottenham go all in on signing Kudus?
How can Kudus tactically fit at Tottenham under Thomas Frank?
Tottenham ready to pay around £50m to sign West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus.
Tottenham want to sign West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus.
The fact that the Dane head coach deploys a flexible 4-3-3 / 3-5-2 hybrid at N17 makes Kudus an intriguing prospect because then the Ghana international would be more than just a winger. He could be playing as a wide creator that starts on the right but cuts inside to combine in central pockets or also in a second striker role in a two-man attack (especially in that 3-5-2 formation). He could also be a #10/8 with the ball, where you are rotating him with the right-sided midfielder (position and zone rotations are, in fact, one of the things about Thomas Frank’s structure that stands out).
Kudus is also someone that plays effectively in tight spaces and has that rotational capacity which makes him quite fluid given his Ajax schooling.
Moreover, he can also carry the ball under pressure (something that the Lilywhites had lacked consistently last season) and could be a transitional threat as well, which makes him quite perfect for Frank’s counter-attacking sequences.
Setup 1 – Kudus as inverted RW in a three man forward line
Kudus as RW
Here you will have Kudus playing a bit on the inside whilst allowing Porro to hold width in attack to bring a sense of width and depth into the attacking structure. Kudus can operate in half spaces and on half turns while linking with Maddison into more inside angles.
Setup 2 – Kudus as a second forward in 3-5-2
Kudus partnering with Solanke upfront.
Here, Kudus will be playing closer to the goal but he will have that freedom to drift. He combines with Maddison in central overloads while pressing from the front which is something Frank likes in his structure without the ball.
Author Opinion
If Tottenham and Daniel Levy are serious about integrating creativity within a structure, then Kudus is the kind of player that the Lilywhites need to bag, especially considering how he provides versatility and quality on the ball, complemented by being someone who is good at presses, which ends up complementing Frank’s footballing philosophy.