How Ghanaians turned their faces to good transfers in just a year

Deep down somewhere in the subconscious parts of their brains, Ghana had made it. Ghana had probed talk about the best, but the best can also come from West Africa.

Arguably the most watched league across the globe, the English Premier League is what every football fan knows best. Maybe a stern competition from the Spanish La Liga but the Premier League tops.

So it’s quite understandable that when a Ghanaian transfers to the Premier League, the joy is different.

Black Stars vice-captain Andre Ayew made the headlines for weeks last summer. His contract with French Ligue 1 club Olympique Marseille had come to an end and it was time to move on.

Clubs all over Europe had seen what Andre could do and there was no way they weren’t going to put in a bid.

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Swansea City put in a bid and they won. Andre Ayew joined the Welsh club and looking back at the last year, that decision from Abedi Pele’s son will never be regretted.

Swansea was not the big big club as Liverpool, a club the Ghanaian player had been linked with prior to his transfer move to Wales. But Swansea City was the big transfer for Andre Ayew as he got the playing time, made the impact and now he is all over the club from websites to poster boy ads.

His younger brother Jordan Ayew also made a descent transfer. Despite initial eagerness to follow Andre to England, Jordan’s transfer from FC Lorient to Aston Villa proved to be a good on in terms of game time and impact in a Villa team that couldn’t play to save their own lives if the need be.

In a very abysmal season for an Aston Villa team who sacked two managers before the season got to an end, Jordan Ayew was the shinning light and year on as he prepares for life in the English Championship [maybe not], he still is a shinning light.

Afriyie Acquah joined Torino which proved to be a decent deal. Abdul Baba Rahman’s move from Augsburg to Chelsea, Christian Atsu’s loan spells to AFC Bournemouth and Malaga had he not been troubled with injuries and Abdul Majeed Waris’ move to FC Lorient were all on point.

These players set the mood for good transfer moves in the future but no, that wasn’t meant to be.

Jonathan Mensah is superb defender. Seeing him command the back with a series of superb displays for the senior national team of Ghana, the Black Stars is a joy to watch.

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For that Evian Thonon Gaillard in the French Ligue 2 was not something to even think about before knowing was a bad place to be for Mensah. He had the talent to deserve better.

Quite frankly though and no offence to Anzhi Makha, that better Jonathan Mensah deserved should be better than the Russian club.

Having played and performed in a World Cup tournament for the Black Stars of Ghana, Jonathan Mensah can walk into the defence of any middle table club in the English Premier League, the Spanish La Liga and the Italian Serie A.

For the Portuguese league and the French Ligue 1, the Ghanaian should be able to make it in the top four clubs. Call it a bluff but Jonathan Mensah is that good and a transfer move to Russia is way beyond him. Sorry Anzhi.

And then there is Jerry Akaminko. Having been out for so long with an injury, finding a club will be quite difficult. But that also does not discredit the fact that a transfer move to a second tier Turkish club is not as bad as it looks like. It is as bad as it looks like. Eskisehirspor is not the place not to talk about the fact that it is a club he left.

It is relevant to point out that Mubarak Wakaso’s move to Greek side Panathinaikos is the slightest silver lining so far. That should also show how grossly disappointing the transfer season has been for Ghanaian players abroad.

The last but not the least is Norwegian born Ghanaian Adam Larson Kwarasey.

When the news broke of a return to Europe for the Black Stars goalkeeper, hopes were high considering how his superb displays for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers had led them to their first title.

Then the name of the club that was mentioned was Rosenborg BK in Norway. Even for the fervent of football fans, Rosenborg BK had to be double checked to see if that was the right move for the Ghanaian goalkeeper.

Adam Kwarasey is a fine goalkeeper who proved his time in the United States of America. Norway was definitely not the way forward unless it is a matter of home sickness.

Rosenborg BK may be playing in the qualifying stage for next season’s UEFA Champions League but that is no excuse. It could have been better for the Black Stars shot stopper.

There are still rumours of a few transfer deals for Ghanaians across the globe. Frank Acheampong, Jordan Ayew, Christian Atsu and even Andre Ayew could still be on the move but on the evidence of deals seen so far, Ghanaian players abroad have just turned their face on good transfer deals in just a year.