Mohammed Kudus is not a “project signing,” with the West Ham man ready to make an impact now, according to Sky Sports journalist Adam Bate.
The Ghana international joined the Hammers on a five-year contract from Ajax last month, as per the official West Ham website (27 August).
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“When Mohammed Kudus made his Premier League debut at Kenilworth Road, he was the youngest West Ham player on the pitch,” Bate wrote for Sky Sports.
“In fact, at 23, he had almost three years on the next youngest of the 14 players used by David Moyes at Luton that evening.
“As a result, the temptation might be to view Kudus as a project signing even at £38m. One for the future, a player who will need time to assimilate to the demands. It would be a mistake. Kudus is a long-term investment but a player ready to make an impact now.”
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West Ham had plenty of money to spend in the summer transfer window following the sale of club captain and star midfielder Declan Rice.
The England international joined fellow Premier League club Arsenal in a £105million deal, with the Hammers slowly but surely spending the money on replacements.
Midfielders James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez have been brought to East London from Southampton and Ajax respectively, with Konstantinos Mavropanos signed from Stuttgart to increase competition for places in defence.
And joining them is attacker Kudus, who already boasts four goals and an assist this season, registering those figures at Ajax before his move to London.
It may take the Ghana international a little bit of time to fully get up to speed in claret and blue, but there is plenty of belief that he will burst into life once he does settle at his new club.
And West Ham will need him to given how they will try and successfully compete in both the Premier League and Europa League.