Sports News of Wednesday, 29 July 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

I predicted Jordan Ayew's success this season - Rahim Ayew

Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew

A little over a year ago, Jordan Ayew completed a season-long loan at Crystal Palace with just two goals in 25 matches.

It was an underwhelming season for the Ghanaian forward and Jordan did not shy away from it.

In his first interview after Palace took a decision to sign him permanently from Swansea, Ayew admitted that his numbers could have been better.

The gamble by Roy Hodgson has paid off as the forward has added seven more goals and three assists to the numbers he polled in last season’s campaign.

In the course of the season, Ayew replaced Wilfred Zaha as Palace’s star man and bagged 10 Man of the Match Awards and two Player of the Months Award.

As expected, Ayew was on Tuesday crowned Palace’s best player of the year as well as the Players’ Player of the Year.

His incredible solo goal against West Ham also won the Goal of the Year award.

Rahim Ayew is an elder brother of the Palace star man and has revealed how last season’s performance impacted on Ayew.

According to him, Ayew was unimpressed with his own form and was downhearted.

Rahim says he had to encourage his brother and predicted that he will become Palace's most important player.

“Dede and I are a bit different from Jordan. He doesn’t like talking and takes things calmly but those of us closer to him, we know what he can do. If you ask anyone in the family, they’ll tell you that in terms of football, he is ahead of us. He knows he is talented but sometimes he just needs some little encouragement”.

“We talk to him everyday because we know he has it. Whenever I went to the UK last season, I realized he was unhappy but he tried to hide it. So one day we were driving around their stadium and I told him to look at the poster. I told him that next season his posters will be everywhere and today here we are”, Rahim told Asempa FM.