Frank Lampard pressures Everton to complete Mohammed Kudus move amid Ajax block
Frank Lampard is “pressuring” Everton to get the loan deal for Mohammed Kudus over the line, according to a report from Ghana Soccernet.
What looked as good as a done deal last week (19 August) for the Ajax attacker to move to Goodison has since stalled amid claims that the Dutch side no longer want to let him go, or are trying to manufacture a bidding war.
But the Toffees boss has not given up on bringing the 22-year-old in this season and is pushing his club to turn the heat up on the Eredivisie giants.
The new report says: “Despite Ajax’s reluctance, Lampard has not given up and is pressuring the club to persuade Ajax to release the player.”
Personal terms with the player are reportedly already done but Ajax are “unwilling to approve” the move.
The Ghanaian international has so far only been given three short substitute appearances by Alfred Schreuder this season, despite the manager claiming he wants to keep an important player.
Whereas according to Ghana Soccernet Everton have “assured the playmaker that he will be a starter, and Lampard has confirmed this” if he moves.
Stalemate
It is hard to see how the manager can guarantee any incoming player a starting spot until he has seen how they adapt to the Premier League.
Perhaps if Anthony Gordon leaves the attacking options will necessitate Kudus starting and the former Chelsea boss has already seen enough to know that he will be important.
That would explain why he is pushing for this move to get done, because the recent turn it has taken surely makes it difficult to do now.
Schreuder has denied any knowledge of a potential exit for his player, but there must be more to it than that for respected sources such as Fabrizio Romano and Paul Joyce to go as far as to suggest it was almost done.
Everton are in no real position to hang about and be played off against new incoming suitors at the last minute.
Perhaps the hierarchy at Goodison can deliver on their manager’s wishes and put pressure on Ajax to complete the deal, getting them to drop what looks like a late negotiating position.
Otherwise Lampard looks like he might be set for another frustrating disappointment and will have to set his hopes on alternative targets in the final days of the window.