Eric Bekoe: Petrojet deal was massive

WITH his dream of playing his professional football abroad fulfilled, Kumasi Asante Kotoko's goal machine, Eric Bekoe was naturally delighted when he penned a four and half year deal with Egyptian petroleum club, Petrojet. With 17 goals in 22 matches last term in the Onetouch Premier League, the former Heart of Lions striker was a delight to watch as he singly-handedly terrorized defenders both in the domestic league and in Africa, where he emerged the CAF Confederation Cup top goal scorer. No wonder “Hurricane Bekoe” instantly became a household name on the continent with several clubs running over themselves to woo him into their camp like what happened in Egypt last week. Speaking to 90 Minutes, Bekoe, who arrived from the land of the Pharaohs a couple of days ago couldn't hide his joy and says inking the Petrojet deal was one of the best moments in his career. “To be appreciated by a big club like Petrojet with their huge followers chanting my name was unbelievable,” he said. “The deal is quite extraordinary as it is an open one which gives me the liberty of moving to another club should a better offer arrives. But I must admit that I'm eagerly looking forward to joining my colleagues in training to justify the investment they've made in me,” Bekoe added.

It will be recalled that Bekoe turned down a golden opportunity to join fellow Ghanaian international Junior Agogo at five-time African champions Zamalek when he shockingly pulled out of the deal at the eleventh hour and signed for Petrojet. Bekoe explained to our reporter: “It's true Zamalek showed their interest in me as they (Zamalek) were the reason why I left the shores of this country but things became a little bit complicated as they decided to renege on the initial deal agreed by both parties. They wrongly thought by so doing, I will become frustrated for them to capitalize and force me to agree to their terms,” the 21-yr-old striker continued. “I did not and told them I only wanted what we agreed earlier on and by then my name was all over the airwaves and in the local media. It was then that Petrojet came up with a mouth-watering deal that was too good to turn down and sealed the deal. In any case Petrojet leads the pack in the Egyptian league ahead of Zamalek and Al Ahly so I believe it was worth signing for them,” he added. Bekoe, who is set to leave for Egypt today, said he's been given a plush apartment and other top of the range amenities to make his stay comfortable in Egypt and took the opportunity to thank the Petrojet President who presented him with a special medal on the commemoration of their 30th anniversary. It is believed his mother club, Kumasi Asante Kotoko will be richer by around $650,000 to $800,000 even though Bekoe remained tightlipped on the financial details of the deal.