THE London Stadium announcer calls him a “wizard” and with good reason. Mohammed Kudus is producing magic on a regular basis for West Ham this season with his brace in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Wolves the latest demonstration of how the Ghanaian attacker can conjure something out of nothing.

Signed for £38m from Ajax in the summer transfer window, Kudus has emerged as one of the signings of the season in the Premier League. He has transformed West Ham as an attacking outfit and there’s much more to come from the 23-year-old who is still finding his feet at a new club in a new league in a new country.

David Moyes has given West Ham solid foundations over a number of seasons, but they previously lacked genuine quality in the final third. They needed some stardust and the signing of Kudus has sprinkled this over the side. Together with Lucas Paqueta, Kudus has changed the face of the Hammers as a team.

West Ham’s attacking play against Wolves was electric as Kudus and Paqueta linked up throughout. Technically skilled on the ball and mobile enough to conduct attacks on their own, the pair were almost impossible to defend against. With the in-form Jarrod Bowen also factored in, West Ham now have one of the strongest attacking lines in the Premier League.

The way he’s started at West Ham, Kudus might not be at the London Stadium for long. Previously linked with bigger – and richer – clubs when he was at Ajax, the Ghanian decided to join the Hammers instead. It might well be his plan to use West Ham as a stepping stone to the elite level.

Kudus is the epitome of a modern centre forward. His appreciation of space is one of the key things that makes him so special with the Ghanaian comfortable in several positions across the frontline. Kudus can play as a centre forward or he can start out wide and drive inside, as he did in the win over Wolves. He can even operate as something as a number 10 or in central midfield.

In the age of counter-pressing, Kudus has the close control to thrive at the top of the sport. He is intelligent in the way he drops into positions in the half-spaces to create separation from opposition defenders. Technically, physically and tactically, Kudus is equipped for modern football. He is destined for the top tier of the game.

£38m was a bargain and West Ham should be looking to more than double their outlay when the time ultimately comes for Kudus to make the next move in his upward trajectory. Declan Rice set a Premier League record when West Ham sold him to Arsenal for £105m last summer. Kudus could one day go for even more.

The Hammers will miss Kudus greatly when he is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana in January. “It’s a huge blow for us – he is great to work with,” said Moyes when asked about losing his star attacker to AFCON. “He scores goals and makes goals and he’s doing all the work for us as well. We are going to have to find other ways. We’ll hugely miss him.”

Indeed, West Ham will be diminished as an attacking outfit during this period, but in Kudus they have someone they can build around – at least until the end of the season when hanging on to him in the transfer window might prove difficult. The Ghanaian – The Wizard of West Ham – has moved the needle for the Hammers in a profound way.