Ghanaian players abroad weekend recap

Due to Christmas festivities, most European leagues have been on a break. However, the English Premier League and Italian Serie A continued amidst the holidays, providing another weekend of European football.

As usual, some Ghanaian players abroad experienced contrasting fortunes, with some shining brightly while others struggled to make an impact.

Among a select few who stole the spotlight:

Antoine Semenyo

The 24-year-old provided his second Premier League assist of the season for Bournemouth in the Cherries’ 2-2 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday, December 29, 2024.

The forward continues to impress at the Vitality Stadium, building on his form since joining from Bristol City.

Semenyo now has seven goal involvements after 18 games in the Premier League, having scored five and provided two assists.

He is also three goals shy of matching his 2023/24 season league tally and has already equaled his assist total from last season.

Mohammed Kudus

It was a tough evening for Kudus as his side suffered a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of league leaders Liverpool.

The former Ajax star played 81 minutes for West Ham but could do little to influence the game as they trailed 3-0 at halftime.

Although he managed to strike the post with an effort from outside the box, Kudus was well-marshalled by Liverpool’s left-back Andrew Robertson.

The attacking midfielder received a rating of 6.5 for the evening, with just one successful dribble and no shots on target.

Caleb Ekuban

In the Italian Serie A, Caleb Ekuban delivered an outstanding performance to help Genoa secure a vital win over Empoli.

The Black Stars striker scored his first goal of the 2024/25 season after returning from a thigh injury in September.

After playing 21 minutes against Napoli a week earlier, Ekuban was again named on the bench.

He was brought into the game three minutes after the hour mark and repaid the coach’s faith with a well-taken goal just five minutes later.

The former Trabzonspor forward now hopes to stay fit and help Genoa, where he has played for the last four seasons, in their quest to escape relegation.

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Kamaldeen Sulemana’s career with Southampton continues to face challenges.

The 22-year-old has had limited minutes this season since returning from injury in October and faced a similar situation when the Saints played Crystal Palace over the weekend.

The former Rennes attacker was given just 25 minutes, coming on in the second half to replace Adam Armstrong in the 65th minute as new manager Ivan Juric attempted to salvage a point.

Although his playing time has been inconsistent, Sulemana showed glimpses of his potential, completing 90% of his passes and winning two fouls.

He has played just eight league games this season without registering a goal or assist.

Forson Amankwah

Like Sulemana, Forson Amankwah has had a challenging few weeks at Norwich City.

The youngster showed promise in his early games for the Canaries, setting up two goals in his first 16 appearances. However, he has now gone six games without playing.

The 21-year-old was an unused substitute in Norwich’s 1-1 draw against QPR this weekend. Despite this, Amankwah has shown potential whenever he has been on the pitch and will hope to earn another chance to showcase his quality.

FKA/MA