‘Superstar’… 23-year-old who Liverpool wanted to sign now being tipped to become better than Mo Salah

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With AFCON currently underway out in Ivory Coast, Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is arguably still the biggest draw.

There are a number of other big names featuring in the tournament. Sadio Mane is still knocking around for Senegal, while Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen is a top player who has attracted interest from the likes of Liverpool.

But according to Right To Dream academy coach Jeremy Seethal, all eyes should be on a different, younger player: Ghana and West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus.

Speaking to The Athletic about Kudus today, Seethal has claimed that the 23-year-old will soon be the undisputed best player in Africa.

“You have Mohamed Salah who is coming to the end of his journey in terms of playing at the highest level,” says the coach. “Then you have Victor Osimhen who is an incredible forward, but Kudus is a box office talent. You pay money to see a talent like Kudus play. Look at Kudus’ impact for West Ham. He’s already established himself as one of their best players.

“Give it two years, Kudus will be the best African player. I’m confident one day he will win the Ballon d’Or. Everyone has seen his growth. Now he’s shining at the highest level. He’s a superstar.”

Kudus tipped for superstar status

These are big claims from Seethal, who coached Kudus back in Ghana. But to be fair, you can see where he’s coming from.

Since arriving in the Premier League over the summer, the former Ajax man has shown why Liverpool themselves reportedly wanted to sign him.

The Reds were claimed to be watching Kudus closely at the World Cup in 2022. But for whatever reason, they chose not to try and bring him to Anfield.

That has since proven to be something of a mistake. As Seethal says, Kudus has already been a huge hit at West Ham. The Ghanaian has 10 goals in 24 games, six of which have come in the Premier League.

Liverpool have even been slammed by former West Ham player Nigel Reo-Coker recently for not signing Kudus ahead of his former club.

If Kudus continues to do well in East London though, it surely won’t be the last we’ve heard of him in connection to Liverpool. The Reds will soon be looking for a replacement for Salah themselves. Perhaps they’ll see the sense in swapping one African superstar for another.

When that time does come, it seems likely that West Ham will be looking for a pretty hefty fee to let their No.14 go.

If Seethal is to be believed, then it will absolutely be worth paying for the Reds.