John Barnes: Kudus must establish consistency at Ajax before big move

Liverpool legend John Barnes has called on Black Stars poster boy Mohammed Kudus to test himself for another season at Ajax Amsterdam before considering a move away from the Eredivisie.

Barnes, who won two English Premier League titles with Liverpool, explained that it was in the best interest of footballers to be consistent in their teams enough to prepare them for bigger moves in the future.

In an interview with Graphic Online, Barnes noted that players who made big moves were likely to be under immense pressure and needed some consistency to deal with that situation.

“I have a believe that players must spend more years at a particular club to be consistent before they consider a big move,” said Barnes.

“This is because most players face pressure from clubs and supporters whenever they make bigger moves, and you will need consistency to deal with such.”

Kudus has reportedly rejected a contract extension at Ajax and is said to be considering a move away from the Dutch club following an impressive season in the Eredivisie and also saw him excel at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and in the UEFA Europa League.

The 22-year-old playmaker scored 18 goals in 41 appearances for Ajax this term and was Ghana’s darling boy at the World Cup last November when he netted twice in a 3-2 victory over South Korea.

Barnes was full of praise for the gifted midfielder and described him as one of the best players in Africa currently.

When asked whether he would advice Kudus to make a move for big money, the Barnes said that was the only motivation of modern-day players and would not fault the Ghanaian for making such a decision.

“Unfortunately, the only motivation of footballers now is to make enough money, so I won’t blame Kudus for taking such a decision.