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Ajax's 'best player' urged to stay away from Arsenal, Liverpool - here's why
Tom Weber
- Updated: 25 Feb 2026 14:26 GMT
- 5 min read
Analysis
Ajax wonderkid Mika Godts has been urged to steer clear of joining Arsenal or Liverpool, and this is certainly good advice.
The 20-year-old is currently enjoying a real breakout season in Amsterdam. Godts has notched an impressive 13 goals and 10 assists, although his exploits have not been enough to save an inconsistent Ajax side from slumping to a disappointing fourth place in the Eredivisie.
Surprisingly, Godts has not represented his country since the U19 level, and he is not guaranteed to be included in the World Cup squad due to the other options at Rudi Garcia's disposal.
Current ETV
Mika Godts
F, M (L)
Ajax
Mika Godts
F, M (L)
Ajax
ETV Range
€16.4M - €20.1M
Former Tottenham star Toby Alderweireld recently expressed his belief that Godts would not go to the World Cup if omitted from the squad for the March international break, which would be remarkable considering his form this season.
In fact, such has been his development, Godts was recently the subject of an enquiry from Arsenal, while Liverpool have now also been added to his list of admirers. However, those who have followed him closely this season are not convinced that he is ready for this step.
Godts warned against Arsenal, Liverpool move
De Telegraaf's chief football journalist Valentijn Driessen believes that Godts still needs to make more "progress" before he can hold his own at a truly elite European giant.
"He’s Ajax’s best player right now," Driessen explained on his Kick-off podcast. "But he squandered a golden opportunity against NEC to give Ajax the victory.
"He was a bit lucky to take that goal, although that still counts. You can also criticise him for ensuring Ajax only got one point, not three. Where is his ceiling? Far above the Eredivisie, but he needs to make progress.
"You shouldn’t put him at Liverpool now. That won’t help. Cody Gakpo is struggling there, and you don’t need to put him in that position now. He’s not going to play much better than Gakpo."
Driessen echoes what Ajax expert Dylan ter Laak already told FootballTransfers earlier this month. While Godts has elite potential, he is not yet the finished product and would likely struggle with the physicality of the Premier League.
"Mika Godts is a player who likes to dribble a lot," Ter Laak said. "Sometimes he dribbles a bit too long, so he ends up losing the ball. Also, he tends to go on his own a lot more than he should sometimes.
"This season, he has developed very well and started to score a lot more compared to last season. The Premier League, obviously, is known for being quite tough physically. I'm not sure whether he would be a player who could deal with that. Personally, I think LaLiga suits him better."
Data from analytics firm SciSports also reflects this. While Godts has the potential to become a very good Premier League player on par with Eberechi Eze, his current skill level is believed to be far below that of any senior Arsenal attacker. The same applies to Liverpool.
He would be well advised to either stay at Ajax or join a smaller club in a top-five league before making the step up to the truly elite level.
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