Frank strikes gold as ‘electric’ Tottenham star destroys Leeds and shows Liverpool their dream Salah heir

Tottenham’s big-money summer signing Mohammed Kudus delivered a performance of the highest quality as Leeds were beaten 2-1 on Saturday afternoon, proving Thomas Frank wise to sign him and potentially giving Liverpool food for thought as they look to find an heir to Mo Salah.

The Ghanaian moved across London from West Ham over the summer in a move that, while costing £55m (€65m, $74.5m), did not create that much fanfare given the lavish sums that were spent elsewhere across the Premier League this summer. But in losing a player who was capable of providing a much-needed spark for the Hammers, questions were being raised as to what sort of player Tottenham would be gaining and whether they were signing a star capable of making the step up.

Over the opening couple of months, though, the 44-times capped Ghana forward has not looked out of place and has been steadily getting better under Frank’s guidance. Four assists in his first six Premier League games certainly pointed to positive signs.

However, his outing at Elland Road on Saturday, as Spurs recorded a hard-fought and entertaining 2-1 win during a game that delivered not just great entertainment but four seasons in one day, showed why Spurs have really struck gold in Kudus.

The 25-year-old was everywhere, proving a menace to Leeds’ defence all afternoon and giving their usually very dependable left-back signing, Gabriel Gudmunsson, his most difficult afternoon yet since his arrival.

One assist for Mathys Tel for the opener and a brilliant goal – his first in a Spurs shirt – underlined his growing confidence.

That goal, robbing Gudmundsson of a bouncing ball, before running across the area and driving a low shot into the corner from 20 yards, was a fine strike.

In co-commentary for TNT Sports, Lucy Ward proclaimed: “You know what you are going to get from Kudus, he has been electric at times since he arrived at Spurs. He is just so front-footed, finds the little bit of space he needs and sticks it into the back of the net. Terrific finish. Brilliant individual play.”

Not only did it give Spurs a morale-boosting victory and Frank his first-ever career win over opposite number Daniel Farke, it also will have been a goal that will have raised some eyebrows on Merseyside and given Liverpool some serious food for thought as they ponder a long-term heir for club icon Mo Salah….

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Of course, it’s not the first time Liverpool have been touted as having an interest in Kudus.

Their interest in him dates back to his time while with Ajax, where a strong interest from then-boss Jurgen Klopp suggested on more than one occasion he was a player on their radar.

Those flashes of brilliance while at the London Stadium also saw the Reds touted for a move once again on more than one occasion.

Now, in the wake of his Man of the Match performance for Spurs, transfer chiefs at Anfield will have duly noted that display. Five goal contributions in seven Premier League games is also Salah-like levels…

Mohammed Kudus scores his first Spurs goal in style!

The forward leaves Karl Darlow rooted as his strike finds the bottom corner 🎯@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/dUnBETwGXa

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 4, 2025

And the difference this time around – or as it will be from 2026 onwards – the question Liverpool have over how to replace the brilliant Salah will quickly become a very pertinent one.

In recent weeks, most of the talk has been all about Bayern Munich’s brilliant France international star, Michael Olise.

Taking his game on to the next level with Bayern, he undoubtedly has the sort of quality Liverpool would be looking for.

But it’s a strong assumption to claim a move to Anfield could come off. Olise already plays with a European juggernaut and his chances of Champions League glory are as strong at the Allianz Arena as they would be at Anfield. Everything there is geared up for glory.

And that’s before you start diving into the £150m (€172m, $202m) asking price seemingly on the former Crystal Palace man’s head.

With that in mind, would Kudus be a more obtainable target?

Granted, it would be no forgone conclusion that Spurs would simply bow down and allow the player to make the move.

However, as the Reds have shown with Alexander Isak this summer, when they set their sights on a player, they do usually land them.

Whether Kudus will prove their choice to succeed the legendary Salah remains to be seen. But more performances like today can certainly set him on the right path…

Tottenham latest: Record fee needed for Prem attacker; Spanish issues for target

The win at Elland Road will reinforce the belief that Spurs are on track to secure another season of Champions League football under Frank next season – this time through a top-four finish.

Were they to qualify once again, the Spurs boss will clearly look to add to his squad rather than weaken in.

And one player they were persistently linked with last summer, in Antoine Semenyo, very much remains on their radar, according to a source.

However, Spurs have now learned the eye-watering fee they would need to fork out to persuade the Bees to cash in.

Elsewhere, a Spurs insider has suggested Conor Gallagher might be open to moving back to London, speculating he could be “fed up with learning Spanish.”

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk can reveal the next big star after Rodrigo Bentancur set to be given a massive new deal to extend their stay in north London.