Music fan Mohammed Kudus is hoping West Ham United can end the Premier League season on a high note, starting with a tuneful performance at Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
Ghana international Kudus prepares for matches by listening to musicians from his homeland, including Stonebwoy and rappers Black Sherif and M.anifest.
Afro-dancehall icon Stonebwoy visited Kudus at London Stadium last season, while rapper M.anifest met the attacker at last weekend’s derby with Tottenham Hotspur, and Kudus told Premier League Productions he and the musicians feel a responsibility to represent Ghana through their respective talents.
The No14 says he is also inspired to perform by listening to their performances as he travels to matches.
“It feels good [to have them come to watch me play],” Kudus confirmed. “I think personally, with my profession, a lot revolves around music as well. Travelling, we all have headsets on listening to music.
“Before games, there's a big speaker in the dressing room and music. Music revolves around us and I think personally, it forces a lot of energy in me. Before games, I listen to energised songs so that I'm pumped up for the game. There's some quiet time too, so you listen to calm songs, so it definitely has an impact on our everyday life and football also.
“My way of connecting with my Ghanaian culture and my Ghanaian people is bringing them to the stadium once in a while to experience the football and the music together. It's just a small way of connecting with the Ghanaian musicians and saying a little bit about my culture and what my life revolves around.
“There's a lot actually, there's a lot I listen to - mostly Ghanaian, Nigerian, a little bit of Amapiano also, Jamaican as well, Popcorn and Vybz Kartel, so I listen to almost everything!”
While West Ham have failed to top charts or even break into the top ten this season, Kudus and his teammates have three more opportunities to record victories and at least climb the standings, the first of which is at Manchester United on Sunday.
“Every game in the league is difficult to get points and playing at Old Trafford it’s a very big and popular stadium and there's going to be a lot of pressure, but that's why we're preparing this week for it,” he observed. “We're all ready to finish hard in the last three games of the season.
“It's been a long season with ups and downs, which is what it's always about during the season. I think there's been a lot of lessons during the times, but the most important thing for me is that we're still together, still pushing to the end and to finish on a high note. The only thing that matters is the present moment and the next games we have.
“Everything that's happened in the past weeks and months during the season, we can't change that now. The only important thing is how to finish on a high note in the last three games we have left. We focus fully on that, and Manchester United is this weekend, so that's what the full focus is about.”
While recent results have not gone in the Hammers’ favour, Kudus believes the squad is benefiting greatly from the influence of another music fan, Head Coach Graham Potter, who famously used song and theatrical performances to inspire his players at Swedish club Östersunds FK.
The Ghana international has enjoyed working with Potter since his appointment in January, citing the 49-year-old’s positivity, energy and ambition to take the team forward to a more successful future.
“I love him,” Kudus revealed. “You get a lot of inspiration from him on how he deals with when we lose goals or games. I see how he talks in the dressing room, shows up for training still with the same energy, trying to keep the guys going. He's a very, very good example to me.
“He's just a coach you want to do everything for. He has a lot of ambition, and he expects a lot from the players as well. A person like that pours a lot of energy into the team.
“I think that's what he's been doing the whole [time he has been here]. Regardless of the results, he still shows up smiling, trying to keep our energy up and keep the guys together. I have a lot of respect and admiration for him having that influence on the guys in such a short period, as that says a lot, and he is aiming for higher heights in the upcoming games and in the future.”
