Tottenham signs Kudus, raising speculation on Son

Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League has signed Ghanaian winger Mohammed Kudus, 25, for the fourth-highest transfer fee in the club’s history. The move is fueling speculation that Tottenham may be preparing for life after Son Heung-min, 33.

On July 11, Tottenham announced, “We have signed Kudus from EPL West Ham on a long-term contract.” While the club did not disclose full details, the BBC reported that the contract runs until 2031 and the transfer fee is 55 million pounds (approximately 102.5 billion won).

Tottenham already boasts a strong lineup of wide attackers, including Son, Manor Solomon (26), Mikey Moore (18), Brennan Johnson (24), Yang Min-hyeok (19), and Wilson Odobert (21). The addition of yet another winger has led many to interpret the signing as an effort to replace Son with Kudus eventually.

Kudus is already familiar to South Korean fans. He scored twice against Korea in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He began his European career with Ajax in 2020 before transferring to West Ham in 2022 to join the Premier League.

Although he played primarily as a central forward last season, Kudus is widely considered more effective as a winger. He scored only five goals in 35 matches as a striker but netted 14 goals in 45 appearances during the 2023–2024 season when used out wide. Kudus himself has expressed a preference for playing on the wing. According to the BBC, he opted to leave West Ham because team captain Jarrod Bowen, 29, was firmly established as the club’s starting right winger.


김정훈기자 hun@donga.com