Essien, Mourinho and 4 others: Here are the possible replacements for Chris Hughton

The dismissal of Chris Hughton as Black Stars coach has opened the floodgates for rumours about the vacant position.

On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, the Ghana Football Association announced that it had decided to fire Chris Hughton after Ghana’s exit from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was confirmed.

With the Black Stars returning to action in March, the FA will be haste to recruit a coach to lead the Black Stars.

A number of names have popped up and GhanaWeb highlights five of the names.

Michael Essien

The former Black Stars midfielder and Chelsea legend’s name has come up heavily with a number of people believing that he could lead the national team to success.

Essien is currently in a youth team at FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark and many hold that his experience makes him a suitable candidate for the job.

In the view of the proponents, a technical team of ex-footballers led by Michael Essien will lead to success for Ghana.

Herve Renard

As has become customary, the French coach continues to be linked with the Black Stars job.

Renard who is highly rated across the continent for his exploits with Zambia, Ivory Coast and Saudi Arabia has been strongly linked with the Black Stars again.

The sticking point with Renard has been his heavy wages but most people want the government and FA to bring him in regardless of the cost as they hold that he is the right man to lead Ghana to success.

Tom Saintfiet

The name of the Belgian technician has shot up to the top of the list following his considerable success with the Gambian national team.

Saintfiet stock rose dramatically after he qualified the Gambia for their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations final in 2021. He led the team to the knockout phase of that competition.

He also qualified them to the 2023 edition where they exited at the group stages. He resigned afterwards and is now available on the market.

George Boateng

Prior to the appointment of Chris Hughton, George Boateng was heavily tipped to be a successor of Otto Addo but could not get the job as Hughton was believed to be a government plant.

George Boateng’s name has come up again as a possible replacement for Hughton.

The former Aston Villa youth coach has been with the team since 2021, serving in a deputy capacity.

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Kwasi Appiah

The name of the former Black Stars coach is in the mention again as someone the Ghana Football Association to turn to.

The Sudan national team coach is reportedly a name being considered due to his rich experience with the national team, having coached them twice.

Kwasi Appiah’s experience with talented identification and World Cup qualifiers also make him a suitable candidate.

Jose Mourinho

The Portuguese coach is on the market again after parting company with AS Roma recently.

Jose Mourinho has previously expressed his fondness of Ghana after a visit with Michael Essien and it is believed that a good offer from the Ghana Football Association and GFA could sway him.

Mourinho needs no introduction as he is a multiple UEFA Champions League, Premier League and La Liga winner.

Watch GhanaWeb's review of Ghana's AFCON performance below