Black Stars Players & The January Transfer Window

*“Players are like birds in flight; we all play for the money.” These were the very highly subjective opinion by skipper of the Black Stars and Sunderland defender, John Mensah, when asked by a journalist whether he was going to move or not.*

Only a few players remain with a club all through their careers; player movement in my opinion, is as rampant as movement of the ball for which these players are eulogized and or criticized – depending on their performances - like never before.

In what is known as the off-season in football comes around, lots of activities go on between players and clubs, between respective clubs and recognized football agencies and facilitators - the infamous football agents.

Over the time that Ghanaian players began to seek for greener pastures by traveling to ply their trade, football - outside of the country - significant strides have been made in the gains made by the country at all levels of the national teams’ pursuit of laurels.

Beyond just traveling to play their club football elsewhere, say on the African continent, Arab world, Middle East and Eastern Europe, focus has now turned unto the particular leagues in which Ghanaian national team players can be seen.

The top European leagues - English, Italian, German, Spanish and French - as they have come to be known, are the prestigious set of leagues whose teams Black Stars players are expected to be playing in.

The Scottish, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, Turkish and lately the Belgian and Serbian leagues, have all proven to be areas that attract a sizeable number of Ghanaian players, even there, to stand the chance of getting a Black Stars call-up; one has to play in top sides in these leagues.

*POST-WORLD CUP SUCCESSES *

The aftermath of the summer World Cup in South Africa, proved to be very crucial to club change by Black Stars players, many of who made significant moves on the transfer front.

Very worthy of note at the time were moves by John Mensah who got an extension of his loan to Sunderland.He was subsequently joined by lead striker for the Black Stars, Asamoah Gyan, who moved in a club record fee from French club, Stade Rennes to English club, Sunderland.

Dominic Adiyiah, the best young player in the world at the U-21 level, got a loan move away from AC Milan to lower league side Reginna, to get more playing time and gather experience before returning to his parent club.

Goalie, Richard Olele Kingson also got a transfer move within the English League. After being sacked by Wigan Athletic, got a place at newly promoted side, Blackpool, a role he has till now kept to the admiration of football pundits.

The biggest winner at the time was Kevin Prince Boateng of English Premier League side Portsmouth. He was sold to Genoa and further loaned to AC Milan for the season and has since been a hit with the Milan club, and is likely to stay on at Milan beyond his loan period.

The second window for player transfers, which is basically to afford teams the last opportunity at bolstering their squads for the last lap of the respective European seasons was closed at the stroke of midnight of January 31, 2011 and yet again, Black Star players made it big in the market.

*NOTABLE BLACK STARS TRANSFERS*

Former Hasaacas and Kotoko defender, Samuel Inkoom, who was until now plying his trade with Swiss side, FC Basel, transferred to Dnipro FC, a Ukrainian side that was looking to bolster their squad and make a push for the Ukrainian league title.

The move, a reported €7 million, points to how the value of a player who was sold to FC Basel for less than a million euros has greatly appreciated, beyond which his club, Kotoko, has made a 10% stake for the amount as agreed with FC Basel during his sale.

Anthony Annan, the holding central midfield Black Stars regular who came into the team around 2008 during the Nations Cup in Ghana as a result of injury to ex-skipper Stephen Appiah, had for long been the subject of transfer speculation to big European sides, but each other time with no result.

Ironically, with little or no speculation about his move from his Norwegian club side, Rosenborg, during this transfer window, the 24-year-old *“diminutive” *performing giant in the Stars midfield finally moved to a top European league and is now playing in the European Champions League competition.

For a reported €2 million, Annan has signed for German Bundes Liga outfit, Schalke 04 Die Konigsblauen. He is seen as the replacement for the Schalke player, Ivan Rakitic, who signed for Spanish side Sevilla.

Of his accomplishments in Norway, Annan won the Norwegian League with his first club, IK Start, in 2007. He joins other Black Stars players like Hans Sarpei as a team mate and Issac Vorsah of Hoffenheim in the German League.

Youngster Dominic Adiyiah for reason of having more playing time, has made his second loan move, this time round choosing to play in the Eastern European country of Serbia. He joins Serb giants, Partisan Belgrade, after agreeing terms with the club.

He is joined by another Black Stars player, Prince Tagoe, who moved for the same reason as Adiyiah, from German side, Hoffenheim to join the Partisan Belgrade, the current defending Champions of the Serb league.

Both players would also be joining former Wa All Stars and Black Stars central defender, Lee Addy, who signed for Red Star Belgrade after the World Cup.

The biggest one if you ask me, is the long awaited move by Sulley Muntari from Inter Milan to Sunderland. Muntari, by the six months’ loan move, would have played in four teams in Europe, two each in Italy and England.

The 26-year-old who started his trade in the Italian top flight way back in 2001 at the Stadio Fruili with Udinese, moved to England with Portsmouth, then under Harry Redknapp in the 2007/2008 season, during which time he won the FA Cup.

The highlight of his career till date was his return to the Italian top flight in a €16 million transfer to Inter Milan, under Jose Mourinho. It was during this time that Muntari won everything in Italian football and the coveted European Champions League.

Aside winning the Serie A title for two successive seasons, the Coppa Italia (Italian FA Cup), Super Coppa Italia, he was also part of the Inter Milan side that won the recent FIFA World Club Championship, beating African Champions TP Mazembe in the final in Abu Dhabi.

After Jose Mourinho’s movement from Inter Milan to Real Madrid, Muntari was considered as ‘surplus’ in respect of requirement by new coach, Rafael Benitez, who sparsely used him, leading to agitation by the midfielder on his lack of usage.

By signing for Sunderland, Muntari becomes the third Ghanaian player to play for the Black Cats, following in the trail of defender John Mensah and that of striker Asamoah Gyan who has impacted positively on the fortunes of the Stadium of Light outfit.

In the aftermath of the move however, Sunderland Coach Steve Bruce has been talking about how Sulley was going to be a very important part of the Sunderland team, extolling his qualities on the field as being robust, strong and with a great left foot.

The truth of the matter is simply that irrespective of whatever quality Sulley possesses, there is that element of discipline and self comportment that might just prove as critical as is the trust reposed in him by the coach.

As a very physical player, his records relative to attracting cards and marching orders are very noticeable and beyond the field, whenever he is dissatisfied by anything he does not hide it.

England is a familiar terrain for Muntari, even though he spent only a season there. He would join the bosom friends, Michael Essien of Chelsea, John Pantsil of Fulham, Richard ‘Olele’ Kingson of Blackpool and a host of other African players in the EPL.

As a nation, one might not be able to tell exactly what percentage of the population has uncharitable comments to make about the player. The truth though is that Muntari by his appalling actions and inactions on and off the pitch, is not a favourite of most Black Stars fans and rightfully so.

Beyond all of that, Goran Stevanovic, new Stars coach, could and I strongly recommend should be able to look to the rich pool of Black Star players in top flight leagues in Europe and with a blend of youth, I cannot but agree with the Serb when he opines that it is a time to win trophies.

Once again, the transfer market has been good to Ghana Football and to the senior national team, the Black Stars, for which reason Ghanaian soccer lovers would look to a better team in competitions. I wish them the very best in their respective clubs.

© Shaban Barani Alpha

alfarsenal@yahoo.com/newcguide@gmail.com