Five major takeaways from Chris Hughton's unveiling as Black Stars coach

The Ghana Football Association on Monday, 20 March 2023 unveiled former Newcastle coach Chris Hughton as head coach of the Black Stars.

Chris Hughton’s official unveiling paves aways for him to kick off his spell as Ghana's fourth coach in four years.

The unveiling was supposed to provide answers to lingering questions about his spell and GhanaWeb highlights five key areas.

Duration of contract

Chris Hughton has signed a contract duration that is less than twenty-four months. According to the Ghana Football Association, Chris Hughton’s contract will expire in December 2024.

His main duty will be to qualify Ghana for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

It had been reported that Chris Hughton was unhappy with the length of his contract but he said that he is happy with it.

End Ghana’s trophy drought

When quizzed about Ghana’s trophy drought which has lasted more than forty years, Chris Hughton said that he is unable to say that Ghana will win trophies under his tenure.

He outlined his targets for the team and hoped that the team will in the long term do something huge for Ghanaians.

"No coach can guarantee a trophy. No coach can sit at a table like this and guarantee you that. No single coach can do that. It starts with qualifications and you can know what you can do but no coach can guarantee a trophy. We have short, medium, and long-term objectives. In the short term, we want to win football games which will put us in a better position to extend the duration.”

What Ghanaians should expect

Chris Hughton admitted that Ghana has a team of technically gifted players and that he will play to the strength of the team.

Chris Hughton said that whereas it is important to talk about tactics, the ultimate joy is to win games and that Ghanaians will be more interested in winning games than playing a certain brand of football.

In his words, winning is the most important thing and he will do well to deliver that.

Will pay more attention to local

Chris Hughton also responded to calls about the absence of Ghanaian-based players in his maiden 25-man squad.

The former Newcastle coach said he will spend more time in Ghana and monitor players in the Ghana Premier League.

He promised to hand call-ups to local players who excel for their respective clubs.

Chris Hughton on Partey and Kudus

The issue of Partey has been topical since the World Cup as many believe he does not show commitment to the national team.

Chris Hughton said Partey is a key member of the team and that he serves as the link between the defense and midfield.

Chris Hughton also offered clarity on the role of Mohammed Kudus in the team. He promised to deploy him in a way that will help the team achieve results.



KPE