A disappointing qualifying campaign that produced just one win from six matches ensured Ghana would not be taking part in this summer’s World Cup tournament in Russia.
As the Black Stars now turn their attention to Africa Cup of Nations qualification, which continues in September, five other African nations (Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco, and Tunisia) have a World Cup to look forward to. But which nation will prevail as the continent’s leading representative?
Swansea City manager Carlos Carvalhal is pleased that the club can welcome Jordan Ayew back into the starting line-up after serving the final game of his three-match suspension. The Ghana international received his marching order during the 0-0 stalemate against Huddersfield Town last month, and since then, the Swans have gone through a period of 340 minutes, where they have scored a single league goal.
Speaking ahead of the Everton game, he said: “We are very happy that Jordan can play because he is one of the best attacking players in the Premier League right now. He’s a very important player to us and he makes a massive difference when he plays. He thinks different than others. Jordan is a player with pace and he’s a player that keeps the ball very well. He’s a player that’s very good one-to-one.Losing a player like this does make a massive difference. The three games without him, of course, we’ve missed him.”
West Ham United manager David Moyes has stressed that it was the right decision to sell Andre Ayew back to Swansea City despite the forward starring for the Welsh outfit last weekend. The Ghana international returned to the Liberty Stadium after an unfruitful 18-month spell at the London Stadium, and he has since found his mojo.
Writing in his column on Evening Standard, Moyes feels it was the right choice to sanction Ayew’s sale in January, as the attacker was not fully focused on the job at hand with the Hammers.He said: “Andre Ayew did well enough for Swansea but don’t forget that he didn’t want to stay. At the time we weren’t that keen to lose anyone to our competitors but he made it 100 per cent clear he did not want to be at West Ham any longer.”
Aston Villa managed Steve Bruce admitted that the club missed the services of Albert Adomah during Saturday's Championship defeat to Fulham. The Villains had come into the game with the perfect league record in 2018, but they could not find the breakthrough versus their west London counterparts.
Ghana international Adomah has been the Villains' top-scorer this term with 13 goals in the Championship, and Bruce admitted that the absence of the 30-year-old alongside Jack Grealish hampered their chances of continuing their winning run, which lasted for seven matches.
Bundesliga outfit Schalke 04 are reportedly looking to sign Chelsea full-back Baba Rahman during the current transfer window. The Ghana international suffered a gruelling knee injury during an African Cup of Nations versus Uganda in January 2017, and he has since been on the sidelines.
In this period, Blues boss Antonio Conte has opted to sign the likes of Antonio Rudiger and Davide Zappacosta, who are capable of providing back-up to Marcos Alonso in the left wing-back spot whilst Kenedy has also been used with good effect in the Cup competitions this term.
Red Star Belgrade striker Richmond Boakye has dedicated his match-winning performance on Saturday to late footballer and club legend Rajko Mitić. The Ghana international continued his fine start to the campaign with Belgrade as he scored a brace in either half of a 6-1 win over Rad Beograd.
As a result, he has now tallied 10 goals in the first 10 matches of the Serbian Liga while he has also notched 37 goals across all competitions in the calendar year. Mitic, who died back in 2008, had his statue unveiled by Red Star earlier last week, and Boakye was quick to dedicate his quadruple to the former talisman. He tweeted: "My double brace today dedicated to our club legend Rajko Mitić. The unveiling of his statue this week outside the stadium is truly befitting.'
Chelsea great Michael Essien has revealed that he keeps a close watch on the Blues progress on television whenever he gets an opportunity. The Ghana international is currently in the ranks of Indonesian outfit Persib Bandung whom he joined as a free-agent earlier in March.
Speaking on 'The John Dykes' show which recently returned on FOX Sports Asia, the veteran midfielder revealed that he spares some time at night to watch the Premier League holders in action, he said: "It is very possible to love domestic clubs but also outside clubs and I still watch Chelsea matches at night because in the morning I have to practice (with Persib)."
Ghana will be without four first-team regulars ahead of their crunch World Cup qualifier against Uganda on Saturday afternoon.
The Black Stars are currently placed third in their qualifying group with five points, and they will need a miracle of sorts in order to secure a berth in next summer's World Cup finals. Kwesi Appiah's side are currently four points adrift of leaders Egypt, and they will have to beat Uganda away and hope that Congo get a positive result versus the Pharaohs, whom they face in the final qualifier game
Ghana will be without four first-team regulars ahead of their crunch World Cup qualifier against Uganda on Saturday afternoon.
The Black Stars are currently placed third in their qualifying group with five points, and they will need a miracle of sorts in order to secure a berth in next summer's World Cup finals. Kwesi Appiah's side are currently four points adrift of leaders Egypt, and they will have to beat Uganda away and hope that Congo get a positive result versus the Pharaohs, whom they face in the final qualifier game.
Ghanaian skipper Asamoah Gyan believes his team would have struggled to get all three points against Congo in Brazzaville, had he featured in the World Cup qualifier.
Kwesi Appiah's side were humbled by the Black Cats by a 5-1 scoreline in the absence of Gyan, who missed the match with a groin injury.
