Why West Ham's playmaker has had a struggling start to the new season

A few months ago, West Ham's new signing Mohammed Kudus was widely regarded as one of the best Premier League signings in the previous season. Signed for a £38 million transfer fee from Ajax, Kudus quickly established himself as a regular starter under David Moyes and registered twenty goal contributions across all competitions in his debut season.

The 24-year-old quickly became a fan favourite among the Hammers and was expected to play an even bigger role for West Ham this season. However, that hasn't been the case at the beginning of the season as Kudus has scored only once and provided one assist for Julen Lopetegui's side in nine league matches. Moreover, Kudus has been often played on the left-wing position and was even substituted at half-time against Brentford last month.

Why West Ham's playmaker has had a struggling start to the new season

Although Kudus found the back of the net against Ipswich Town, the creative playmaker hasn't returned to his level best yet which was evident in the recent international break. Kudus was recently made Ghana's new captain to lead the national team after their struggling performance in the first two matches. While Ghana played a 0-0 draw with Sudan last week, they faced a surprise 2-0 defeat against Sudan in the fourth group stage match and are less likely to qualify for the next Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Despite Kudus's multiple efforts to spark some creativity for Ghana inside the final third, their finishing wasn't great and now they are third in their group with only two points after four matches. While Kudus is struggling with goalscoring currently, the 24-year-old also has the added responsibility of being Ghana's captain.

Therefore, West Ham should play Kudus in his preferred central playmaker position and move Lucas Paqueta on the left flank, to help both Kudus and Paqueta to find their best form again for both club and country. Moreover, Kudus would want to continue improving his performances in training to make a great comeback for both West Ham and the Ghana national team.