Having thrived throughout his first season in England, forward Mohammed Kudus is determined to help West Ham United earn a positive result at Newcastle United that he believes could act as a significant boost to the team’s prospects at home and abroad.
The Hammers travel north for a mouth-watering clash at St James’ Park on Saturday lunchtime, ready to take on a direct rival in the Premier League battle for European qualification, with less than two months of 2023/24 to go.
Currently sat in seventh, three places and four points ahead of the Magpies with one game more under their belt, David Moyes’ charges are in control of their own destiny as they look to secure a fourth successive term in continental competition.
And with a quarter-final tie with Bayer Leverkusen to come in the UEFA Europa League as well next month, Kudus is looking to spark a run of form in the first bout of Club action after the international break.
“We’ve done really well managing the balance of European and domestic football this year, and we just need to keep that going in the next few weeks now,” said Kudus, who has notched 12 goals and four assists in 34 games in all competitions since his summer arrival from Ajax.
“Last season the team won the UEFA Europa Conference League but struggled a bit in the league, but with new signings and experience we’ve been able to perform on both fronts.
“We have to continue with the same mentality, and that starts again against Newcastle. I’d like us to finish strongly in both competitions, and I’m confident we have what it takes to do that.”
Kudus was instrumental in firing West Ham into the last eight of the Europa League with a late brace in the round of 16 second leg 5-0 thrashing of SC Freiburg, with his first goal particularly raising the London Stadium roof.
His imaginative celebration after that strike also caught the eye, and while happy with his personal contributions in Claret and Blue so far, the 23-year-old is continually looking to develop and improve.
“I’ve scored some nice goals during my career, but I don’t think I’ve scored a better one than that first one against Freiburg!” added Kudus.
“One of my strengths is taking people on, and it wasn’t until I saw the video after the game that I realised how far I’d travelled with the ball.
“With the celebration, I just tried to think of something different to what had been done before, and I have to thank the steward whose stool I borrowed!
“I’ve enjoyed adapting to England and the Premier League - my home debut was against Manchester City, which was a bit of an eye-opener!
“I think I’ve done well, but like the team, I just want to keep getting better and be as successful as possible. Hopefully there are a lot more good moments for us all to enjoy in the near future.”
