Ghanaian players in Europe's top 5 leagues: Kudus fails to shine, Ayew, Inaki score

Premier League

Mohammed Kudus (West Ham United): The star boy was on the pitch for 90 minutes against Nottingham Forest last weekend, but failed to really impress.

He picked up a yellow card after just eight minutes. Although he completed most of the dribbles, he failed to get a shot on goal and consequently failed to score. West Ham ultimately lost 2-0.

Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace): With a stunning goal against Everton on Monday evening, the 32-year-old made his first bid to become a regular under new manager Oliver Glasner, who will soon be on the sidelines.

However, the Austrian will certainly not have missed the fact that Ayew lost 20 of his 25 one-on-ones. Overall, however, it was a solid performance, but ultimately not enough to secure victory. His team drew 1-1 with the Toffees.

Jeffrey Schlupp (Crystal Palace): 2024 is not yet going quite the way the 31-year-old would like. Schlupp has failed to impress in his appearances so far this year.

However, the Germany-born was not even in the squad for the match against Everton. It is not clear why, but it is quite possible that the change of manager at his club is an opportunity for him to prove himself once again.

Tariq Lamptey (Brighton & Hove Albion): Was substituted at half-time in his side's match against bottom-placed Sheffield United. The reason for this was probably his yellow card, which he picked up shortly before half-time. He completed 26 of 27 passes, but otherwise remained rather discreet. Brighton ultimately won 5-0.

Antoine Semenyo (AFC Bournemouth): The right winger scored his last goal on the third of December. He did it again at the weekend against Newcastle, scoring to give his team a 2-1 lead. A strong performance from the 24-year-old, who then called it a day in the 79th minute and watched from the bench as his team conceded an equaliser in the 92nd minute.

Jordan Amissah (Sheffield United FC): The German-born goalkeeper alternates between the bench and the stands at the bottom of the Premier League. He played a single game for Sheffield United in August 2022, was loaned out to League One side Burton Albion in the meantime and is now back in the Steel City. Didn't make the squad versus Brighton & Hove Albion.

Thomas Partey (Arsenal): The midfielder played his last game on 8 October. Since then he has been working on his recovery from a hamstring injury, but has also suffered a setback in the meantime. Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta announced last week that Partey should be ready for action again in around three weeks.

Jordan Ayew impresses new Crystal Palace manager Glasner with goal against Everton Pulse Ghana

La Liga

Iñaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao): After his return from the AFCON, he sent FC Barcelona straight out of the Copa del Rey with his goal and his assist. Since then, he has appeared in four games but didn't manage to score. However, he did find the back of the net on Monday night clash against Girona. He scored the third goal in his team's 3-2 win. Williams, who captained his team, impressed with his performance. 6 shots on goal, one of which hit the crossbar.

Iddrisu Baba (UD Almeria): The midfielder is currently on loan to Almeria from RCD Mallorca and is a regular starter in Andalusia. Baba played 84 minutes in his team's 1-1 draw with Granada before being substituted with a knock. His performance was not really more than okay, as the defensive midfielder only won 5 of his 10 tackles.

Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo): The centre-back moved to Spain from Belgian side Genk in 2019. He injured his Achilles tendon in October and subsequently underwent surgery. He is unlikely to feature again this season.

Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano): It's not quite clear what exactly the centre-back's role is playing at his club. Sometimes he plays from the start and then the whole game, but often he doesn't feature at all. Mumin did not play in his team's 1-1 draw against Real Madrid.

Inaki Williams put in a great performance on Monday night. Pulse Ghana

Bundesliga

Daniel Kofi-Kyereh (SC Freiburg): The 27-year-old was born in Accra and spent his youth in Germany. He made his breakthrough at FC St. Pauli before moving to SC Freiburg. In February 2023, he tore his cruciate ligament in training and has been out injured ever since. The attacking midfielder is currently rebuilding, but it is unclear whether he will be able to play again this season.

Patric Pfeiffer (FC Augsburg): The centre-back moved from promoted SV Darmstadt 98 to FC Augsburg last July. However, things are not going as planned for him there. He has only made six appearances so far, the last one on 20 December. He was not in the squad for the game against Mainz last weekend due to muscular problems.

Christopher Antwi-Adjei (VFL Bochum): The German-born left-sided midfielder hasn't managed to secure a regular place at VFL Bochum, but has still featured in 20 Bundesliga matches so far – starting in 9 of them. He has scored one goal and provided 2 assists. Although he did not score a goal in his team's sensational win against record champions Bayern Munich, he still played a very solid game. He was on the pitch for a total of 86 minutes.

Braydon Manu (SV Darmstadt): The 26-year-old agile and quick winger would probably be a regular for the promoted team. It's just a shame that Manu hasn't been able to get back on the pitch since the second game of the season. He was initially out for several weeks due to tonsillitis and has been absent since then due to an ankle injury.

Kasim Adams Nuhu (FC Hoffenheim): The fourteen-time Ghana international returned from a loan spell at Swiss side FC Basel in July 2023. Since then, however, he has played no part at the Bundesliga side, not even making the squad in 18 of 22 matches. He was back in the team for the last four games, but did not feature. He had to watch the defeat against Union Berlin from the bench.

Kasim Adams Nuhu is a 14-time international, but at the moment it doesn't look like he'll be playing any more games for the Black Stars. Pulse Ghana

Ligue 1

Andrew Ayew (Le Havre AC): His arrival in France after the poor AFCON campaign was impressive: a brace in the league game against Lorient, followed by a goal in the Coupe de France game against Racing Strasbourg. Last weekend against Lille, Ayew was on the pitch for 69 minutes but failed to make a real impact – his only shot on goal was blocked.

Ernest Nuamah (Olympique Lyon): In complete contrast to the AFCON, Nuamah plays regularly at the club. He has scored 1 goal in 18 league appearances so far this season. Last Friday in the win against OGC Nice, Nuamah played a strong game, even providing the assist for the winning goal at the end.

Salis Abdul Samed (RC Lens): The defensive midfielder put in a mediocre performance in the draw against Stade Reims, although he was the most reliable passer (29 out of 32 successful passes). The 23-year-old is an undisputed regular at Lens this season and could well make the step up to an even higher league in the next transfer window.

Mohammed Salisu (AS Monaco): His start following his move from Southampton to the south of France could hardly have been worse. He missed every game until the beginning of December due to an adductor injury, but has been a regular since his return. In the defeat against Toulouse, Salisu played a whopping 77 passes, otherwise he played a mediocre to solid 90 minutes.

Alida Seidu (Stade Rennes): The 23-year-old moved from Clermont-Foot to Stade Rennes after the AFCON and has made three appearances so far. He played 82 minutes in last weekend's 3-1 win over his former club. He saw a yellow card, but put in a strong performance overall.

Benjamin Tetteh (FC Metz): The 26-year-old is not a regular in the city in north-east France, usually only making partial appearances. However, the centre-forward did not feature at all in the 3-0 defeat against Montpellier last weekend.

Nathaniel Adjoin (FC Lorient): The 21-year-old has been playing on loan at Lorient since the end of January (is otherwise under contract with Hammarby in Sweden). Since his arrival, he has played four games, three from the start. The centre-back played in his side's 3-1 win over Strasbourg on Sunday, putting in a solid but unremarkable performance.

Ernest Nuamah provided an assist in the match against Nice on friday. Pulse Ghana

Serie A

Alfred Duncan (AC Florence): An undisputed regular in the cathedral city for a long time now. In 22 Serie A games, the defensive midfielder has scored one goal and provided five assists. He played 62 minutes in last weekend's 1-1 draw against Empoli and played well, winning six of his eight tackles.

Ibrahim Sulemana (Cagliari Calcio): Moved to Cagliari from Hellas Verona last summer. Since then, the defensive midfielder has played 13 games. After missing two games due to an ankle injury, he was back in the squad against Udinese Calcio but did not feature.

Emmanuel Gyasi (Empoli FC): The right-sided midfielder is a regular in the 16th-placed team. He played 45 minutes in the clash with Alfred Duncan and AC Florence. He received a yellow card in the very first minute and otherwise played an average game. He has managed 1 goal and 1 assist so far this Serie A season.

Caleb Ekuban (Genoa CFC): The centre-forward has scored two goals and provided one assist in 19 league games. He did not add to his tally in the clash against SSC Napoli at the weekend. Ekuban was on the pitch for 15 minutes in the 1-1 draw, during which time he was unable to register any noteworthy actions.