Everton came extremely close to signing Mohammed Kudus from Ajax back in the summer.
According to Paul Joyce of The Times, the Toffees had all but completed a deal for the Ghana international, who was set to join on loan for the 2022/23 campaign with a view to making the move permanent.
However, Ajax – frustrated by the departures of key men such as Sebastien Haller, Antony, Lisandro Martinez and others – denied Kudus his move.
Now, Frank Lampard will be kicking himself.
What’s the story?
Well, Kudus has gone from strength to strength since Ajax blocked his loan move to Everton.
The 22-year-old scored ten goals in 21 appearances for the Dutch giants before the start of the World Cup, and put his name up in lights with some more excellent displays in Qatar.
Kudus scored two goals in three games for Ghana, and now, he has been named in the Under-23 World Cup Best XI.
As you can see, Kudus joins some of Europe’s greatest young talents in the XI, such as Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies.
It is testament to his ability that he finds himself among such stellar names, and in our view, the ship has now sailed in regards to Everton luring him to Goodison Park.
Everton have surely missed out on Kudus
After his exploits in Qatar, bigger sides are now taking an interest in Kudus – with all due respect to Everton.
The Telegraph believe Erik ten Hag is now keen to bring the Ghanaian to Manchester United, while Sports World Ghana have claimed that Liverpool are also interested in securing his signature.
Everton could still sign Kudus, of course.
However, the fact they sit 17th in the Premier League – just one point above the relegation zone – means they are not exactly the most attractive proposition for the Ajax No.20 to sign up for.
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