Everton's perceived unattractive style of play could be a disadvantage to their hopes of signing reported transfer target Mohammed Kudus, according to former BBC radio pundit Noel Whelan. 

The Lowdown: Everton linked with Kudus

The Toffees were linked with a move for the Ajax star during last summer's transfer window and even had a bid of £15m rejected by the Amsterdam club.

Since then, the 22-year-old has scored 10 goals in 21 appearances for Ajax across all competitions and also netted two goals in three appearances for Ghana at the World Cup in Qatar, where he made a lasting impression despite his country's group stage exit.

Now that the January transfer window is on the horizon, Whelan has shared his thoughts on what could be hindering Everton in their road to sign the Ghanaian, who journalist Patrick Boyland described as "dynamic" on Twitter.

The Latest: Everton's 'problem'

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan believes that Everton's style of play could hinder the possibility of them luring Kudus to Goodison Park, feeling that Frank Lampard's tactics would not get the best out of the 22-year-old.

The former Leeds striker claimed: "I don’t think one player will change much. The problem is more with this defensive, counter-attacking style that Frank Lampard is using right now at Everton.

"It’s not attractive to watch at all, and the Everton fans are not enjoying it. If you’re going to go out and buy attackers with flair and creativity, like Kudus – you’ve got to play a certain style.

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"You’ve got to get them plenty of touches of the ball, or there’s just no point in signing them. Ghana were an attacking side and Kudus showed what a good player he is within that setup.

"But right now, we’re not seeing that from Everton. Just look at their attackers right now, they’re not being used to their full potential.

“[Anthony] Gordon should be getting the ball all the time, [Dwight] McNeil should be getting touches – it’s just not happening."

The Verdict: Everton need a spark

Bearing in mind how only two teams have a lower rate of goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (1.13) than Everton in the Premier League this season, it's easy to see why Whelan thinks that the Toffees' lack of attacking play could be an issue in terms of potentially signing Kudus, or in getting the best out of him.

 

However, this highlights how much the Merseyside club could do with having a player like the Ghanaian in their team, as he had more shots at goal (eight) than any of his fellow countrymen during the World Cup, in which only two Ghana players racked up more shot-creating actions than him (five).

Looking ahead to January, we feel that Everton should definitely explore the possibility of signing Kudus once again and see if he could be the one to spark Lampard's team - the joint-second lowest scoring in the Premier League so far - into life.