Three Ghanaians That Still Have Hopes of European Silverware This Season

Three Ghanaians That Still Have Hopes of European Silverware This Season

There can be no denying that Ghana was one of the great disappointments at the recent Africa Cup of Nations. Defeat against Cape Verde as well as draws against both Egypt and Mozambique meant that they exited the tournament at the group stage. However, the Black Stars weren’t on their own in their underwhelming performance as a number of heavyweights crashed out of the competition early.

Now that the country’s best players have returned to their clubs, they can start focusing on day-to-day matters. However, a number of Ghanaians still harbor hopes both domestically and continentally. Here are three men who will be aiming to pick up European silverware this term.

Thomas Partey – Arsenal

The jewel in the Ghanaian crown is without a doubt central midfielder Thomas Partey. The early elimination at AFCON could be partly down to the fact that they were missing their superstar midfielder, who has been out for most of the current season with an injury. However, Partey is due to return to action in the next month and has a busy few months ahead of him as Arsenal are still alive in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

A prominent US sports betting site providing football offers has made the Gunners a third favourite in both of those tournaments. Fanatics Sportsbook is available in several states and provides offers for betting on football. In the Premier League, Arsenal find themselves behind Manchester City and Liverpool in the betting list, while in the Champions League they are behind City once again, as well as a Jude Bellingham-powered Real Madrid. On the continental stage, the North London club has a winnable fixture in the last 16 against FC Porto and, should they progress, expectations of a first Champions League final since 2006 could rise.

Mohammed Kudus – West Ham

One of the major players on the continental scene in the last couple of years has been West Ham United. The Hammers reached the Europa League semifinals in 2022, where they were defeated by eventual champions Eintracht Frankfurt. They then went all the way in the Conference League last season, with Jarrod Bowen’s last-gasp winner securing a 2-1 victory against Fiorentina and the trophy that comes with it. West Ham’s success in Europe’s third-tier competition has propelled them back to the Europa League this season, and they look as though they mean business.

West Ham topped their group in blistering fashion, winning five of their six games. Ghanaian star Mohammed Kudus was their key man, netting twice in their opening-day victory against Serbian outfit TSC before bagging once again in their final game against Freiburg. The former Ajax man has proven to be a great signing at the London Stadium, also performing well in the Premier League where he has found the net six times. With West Ham safely through to the Round of 16, they are one of the favorites for glory, as are their compatriots Brighton and – perhaps most notably – six-time Champions League winners Liverpool.

Alexander Djiku – Fenerbahce

No European trophy has been won by a team outside of the continent’s ‘Big Five’ leagues in 13 years. The last time it happened was when FC Porto defeated compatriots SC Braga to win the 2011 Europa League. This term, Turkish outfit Fenerbahce are looking to end that spell of dominance by lifting a first European trophy for their country since their arch-rival Galatasaray stunned Arsenal in the UEFA Cup at the turn of the millennium. If their performances in the Conference League group stages are anything to go by, Fenerbahce will certainly have a good chance.

The Sarı Kanaryalar were one of the stars of the show in Europe’s third-tier competition this season. They topped Group H ahead of Ludogorets and punched their ticket directly to the last 16, bypassing the playoff round. The club strengthened heavily in the summer, bringing in a number of top stars. The likes of Dominik Livakovic, Çağlar Söyüncü, Leonardo Bonucci, Fred, Ryan Kent, Dusan Tadic, Cengiz Under and Edin Dzeko all headed to Istanbul, as did Ghana’s Alexander Djiku.

Those players have helped the club to second place in the Super Lig, two points behind the league leaders, and they could help Fenerbahce to the latter stages of the Conference League as well.

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