Mohammed Kudus explains why he wants to be different to other players after Tottenham transfer

Mohammed Kudus has arrived at Tottenham Hotspur as someone who wants to be different to the rest and that much is clear already.

Spurs signed the 24-year-old from West Ham in a £55million deal last month. It was the first transfer between the two clubs in 14 years, since Scott Parker made the move across London, and it would take a special player to end that stand-off.

Within just a couple of weeks Kudus has shown that he's got that bit of magic. His new boss Thomas Frank has said the Ghana international is a player who will get the fans off their seats and that has certainly proved to be the case so far with his tricks, flicks, dribbling ability and strength on the ball.

He was involved in both of Spurs' goals in their first pre-season game at Reading and then terrified Arsenal out in Hong Kong every time he got the ball in the 1-0 win at the Kai Tak Stadium.

Then on Sunday in Seoul as the man who replaced the departing Son Heung-min, Kudus performed one delightful bit of trickery on the run to create a chance against Newcastle and show that he will try to fill the big void left by the South Korean star as he departs for Los Angeles.

"I have always seen the game as trying to be different. We have a lot of passes and less guys who want to take people on and dribble and that’s how I’ve always grown to play," he said. "Try to entertain the fans as much as I can. So it has always been a part of my game."

His exciting style makes even more sense when you realise who his hero was growing up in Ghana.

"A lot of players but from Africa it was Jay-Jay Okocha," he remembered. "I really liked how he was playing."

He told football.london about what Frank had asked of him when he joined: "We all know my abilities in 1v1s, trying to create and help the team so that’s what I am here to try and do but defensively try to add to my game as well."

That's coming along nicely as it's not just Kudus' attacking play that has caught Frank's eye. After that victory against Arsenal the Dane made reference to one long key run tracking back that the midfielder undertook to win possession after the Gunners had broken up the pitch.

Kudus admitted that it was something he felt was important to continue improving on in his game so his new team-mates can look to him in all situations.

"I offer a lot offensively but defensively too I want to make the team feel like they can depend on me because the football also needs me with stuff like that," he said. "Especially in games like that where we are going to have to be defending sometimes."

Kudus has quickly settled into life at the north London club and he has been helped by one of the club's January recruits.

"Everybody has helped me a lot. The guys try to speak to me to get the connection on and off the pitch. So far it has been smooth," he explained. "Kevin[Danso] is a Ghanaian so we speak our local dialect (Twi) so it has been easier to connect.

"We talk about everything. Football, life. He just tries to help me because he has been here before me."

One team-mate who Kudus will no longer get to play alongside is captain Son with the 33-year-old ending 10 years at Tottenham with a move to Los Angeles and Major League Soccer.

"I have so much respect and admiration for him. We played against each other in the World Cup. I just love how he plays," he said. "He has done a lot for the club and I’m grateful to have come here and played with him. He has been a great example for us, from how he trains and carries himself, so big up to him."

This season brings a return to the Champions League for Tottenham and also Kudus, who impressed in the competition with Ajax, netting four goals and registering two assists in six appearances in the 2022/23 season.

"It's very exciting," said the Ghanaian of being back among Europe's elite. "Those are the levels we live to play for and I think the club deserves to be in that spot. We need to make the most out of it."

With Kudus daring to be different, you just know he is likely to make the very most of it.