The Ajax manager has made a brutally honest claim about Mohammed Kudus after his sale to West Ham United.
When West Ham technical director Tim Steidten came back from Amsterdam with Edson Alvarez fans were delighted.
But supporters never dreamed the Hammers would return to successfully raid Ajax for a second time in as many weeks for the hugely coveted Mohammed Kudus.
The Ghana star was linked with West Ham as far back as October last year – as first reported by Bild and covered here on Hammers News at the time.
Ajax boss makes brutally honest claim about star Mohammed Kudus after his sale to West Ham
But with Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and – late in the day – Saudi clubs also interested, Hammers fans could be forgiven for doubting whether Kudus would end up at the London Stadium.
He did, though, in a £38m deal, much to the delight of everyone connected with West Ham.
The feeling back in Holland is the polar opposite, though.
Kudus signed off at Ajax by scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Ludogorets in the first leg of a Europa League qualifier.
Since selling Kudus to West Ham, Ajax have lost 1-0 at home in the second leg to the same opposition and drew 0-0 with Fortuna Sittard at the weekend.
And the Ajax boss has made a brutally honest claim about star Kudus after his sale to West Ham.
‘We will miss him’
It’s safe to say the Dutch giants are struggling without their star boy. And their manager Maurice Steijn has admitted they are already missing Kudus terribly following his switch to the Hammers.
“Kudus was a player people went to the stadium for, to see,” Steijan told Ziggo Sport.
“We will miss him, not least because he was starting to produce more goals and assists.”
Credit to Steijn for his honesty. And it must be difficult for him seeing two of his star players snatched away by West Ham.
It also gives Hammers fans an idea of just how special Kudus is going to be for them.
Another man who is not happy with Ajax for selling Kudus to West Ham is Dutch legend Marco van Basten.