By winning the UEFA Europa Conference League in June and making some wise moves in the summer window, West Ham United allayed any concerns about their 16th-place Premier League finish the previous season.

The Hammers are now in seventh place in the league and have maintained the excitement from that historic occasion into this campaign. They also topped their Europa League group.

The high caliber of their roster, which includes Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen, and James Ward-Prowse, has contributed to that upward shift in momentum.

Ahead of their trip to Aston Villa, the talented Mohammed Kudus is banging down the door to make his first Premier League start after scoring a late equaliser against Newcastle in sensational style.

Who could Mohammed Kudus replace against Aston Villa?

In the 76th minute against Newcastle, the “generational talent”—as praised by African journalist Gary Al-Smith—replaced Tomas Soucek in the number 10 position off the bench. He made an immediate impact by scoring a vicious half-volley.

Kudus, in contrast to Soucek, has outstanding sprinting ability, keen vision, and playmaking skills that the 28-year-old is unable of providing, as evidenced against the Magpies.

The Czech Republic international remained essentially inactive for the whole 76 minutes he was on the field, failing to complete six of his 14 passes, dribbling 0 times, winning 0 ground battles, and losing possession 6 times.

Kudus, on the other hand, had an enormous impact in the 14 minutes that he was on the field. In addition to scoring the game’s winning goal, he also impressed with his all-action display, successfully completing 100% of his dribbles, correctly placing nine of his 10 passes, winning one of his two ground duels, and making one crucial pass.

Described by former teammate Calvin Bassey as a “star boy”, Kudus was signed to be the difference maker in the final third for West Ham and despite being restricted to cameos off the bench so far, has already passed the eye test of someone who can become a revelation in east London.

How has Mohammed Kudus performed this season?

In the Premier League this term, the 23-year-old has provided Moyes with a flavour of his attacking capabilities, thrilling the masses with his exceptional ball-carrying skills, ability to unlock defences and consistent end product.

He has demonstrated these skills to the fullest extent in the last two games, a win over Sheffield United and a draw with Newcastle, by successfully completing 75% of his dribbles, winning 67% of his duels, accurately placing 83% of his passes, and averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.35.

While Kudus is amazing when he has the ball, the 5 foot 9 star is also enormous when he doesn’t. He shows a ferocious drive to regain possession for his team and uses his bulk to force the opponent away from the ball.

Simply put, the Ghanian’s potential has no bounds, and Moyes must recognize this by letting him loose against Villa right away.

Bowen and Paqueta could flank the £90,000 per week phenomenon, giving West Ham a formidable combination that most defenses would be scurrying for cover from.