Mohammed Kudus has picked 3 West Ham teammates, 5 Man City stars but just 2 from Arsenal in his best XI and it’s not Declan Rice.
West Ham star Mohammed Kudus proved himself to be one of the best players in the Premier League last season.
Just ask Arsenal and Manchester City, who both got to see the Hammers star boy shine against them.
Kudus was instrumental in West Ham wins over Arsenal at the Emirates and in the League Cup, scoring a superb goal in the latter.
The Ghanaian attacker also scored a goal of the season contender against Man City on the last day of the season with that spectacular overhead kick.
That goal was not enough to prevent West Ham falling to a 3-1 defeat which saw Manchester City seal the title – much to the disappointment of the Gunners.
West Ham allegedly beat Arsenal to the signing of Kudus from Ajax last summer.
He has been an absolute bargain by modern standards at just £38.5m.
West Ham star names all Premier League stars in world XI
Kudus has been so good he has already attracted attention from some of Europe’s elite with talk the Hammers value him at over £100m.
We’ve established Kudus is a top level baller.
But who does he rate as the best around?
In a sit-down interview with West Ham TV, Kudus was asked to put together his world XI.
Whether by design or not, the players he chose were exclusively from the Premier League.
Kudus picked 3 West Ham teammates, 5 Man City stars but just 2 from Arsenal in his best XI and it’s not Declan Rice.
The Hammers sold Rice to Arsenal last summer for £105m. He has been a revelation for Mikel Arteta’s side ever since – just as Hammers fans told many sceptical Gunners he would be.
Two Arsenal stars in Kudus XI but no room for Rice
Arsenal actually beat Manchester City to Rice’s signature with the ex West Ham skipper preferring to join their London rivals. That did not go down well with Hammers fans.
Rice undoubtedly helped Arsenal narrow the gap on Pep Guardiola’s side. But he couldn’t quite get them over the line.
And he hasn’t made it into Kudus’ best XI players.
Kudus’ West Ham teammates Lucas Paqueta, top scorer Jarrod Bowen and left-back Emerson Palmieri make it in.
Five players from champions Man City are in there too alongside two Arsenal stars.
Here’s who Kudus picked and what he had to say about each.
Goalkeeper: Ederson of Man City
“We couldn’t press (Man City) you know (because of Ederson),” Kudus said.
“He was so calm on the ball. He does more than what a (normal) ‘keeper does.”
Right-back: Kyle Walker of Man City
“Kyle Walker, yeah. He’s strong, fast – that’s a nightmare for a winger like me. He has all the ability to defend against wingers.”
Central defence: William Saliba of Arsenal and Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool
“William Saliba is also strong, fast and hard to play against. Yea I like him.”
“Also just as I was saying, strong, fast and hard to play against!”
Left-back: Emerson Palmieri of West Ham
“Emerson Palmieri, my teammate, I think he’s brilliant in his all-round game, offensive-defensive. He can score bangers as well so yeah I’ll go for him.”
Defensive midfield: Thomas Partey of Arsenal
“Yea my countryman TP, Thomas Partey! I’ll go for him as defensive midfielder. Calm on the ball, controls the game. Yeah I just like him.”
Central midfield: Lucas Paqueta of West Ham
“Ill go for Paqueta as the number 8. His qualities in getting the ball from the back to the front are huge. That’s what you need a lot from a number 8.
Attacking midfield: Kevin De Bruyne of Man City
“In the number 10 I’ll go for Kevin De Bruyne. Creates a lot but for his all-round game, his finishing, assists, passes. As a number 10 you want that creativity and that flair.”
Wide right forward: Jarrod Bowen of West Ham
“We’ll go for Jaz. We’ve seen his impact. As a winger he has everything it takes to succeed in that position and he’s doing that already. Finishing, movement off the ball, one-v-ones, his speed and his all-round game as a winger is nice to see. I also play the same position so we try to push each other and learn from each other as well.”
Wide left forward: Jeremy Doku of Man City
“I’ll go for Jeremy Doku. As a winger I think he has everything. One-v-one, beats players, creates chances, assists goals. So yeah I’ll go for him on the left wing.”
Striker: Erling Haaland of Man City
“Erling Haaland yeah. I don’t have much to say – as a striker you want to put the ball in the net so he has that quality. Strong, fast, worries defenders and scores goals.”
You can watch Kudus run through his world XI in the video below.