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A year ago, Kwame Opoku was eagerly waiting to make his Asante Kotoko debut after signing for the Porcupine Warriors from second division team Nkoronza Warriors.
Kotoko acquired the forward’s services in a move to strengthen her squad for the second round of the 2019/20 season. Opoku caught the attention of Kotoko and other top-level clubs after they recorded an impressive 10 goals in the North Carolina special competition.
But the unexpected happened, Covid-19, and that caused the suspension and subsequent cancellation of the season due to the ban on football.
The ban was lifted in September, however competitive soccer returned in November. Therefore, Kwame Opoku waited nine months to play his first competitive match for Kotoko.
In his competitive debut, Opoku scored against Eleven Wonders in the Ghana Premier League. He has never looked back since, with his tally now of eight goals after 19 matches in all competitions.
Not surprisingly, Opoku is close to closing a three-year contract with Algerian team USM Alger.
In recent years, footballers who have excelled in the local league have landed lucrative overseas contracts and Opoku will join the long list when the transfer is complete.
Joy Sports understands that Kotoko will earn 300,000 euros (approximately 2 million Ghana Cedis) from the transfer.
Meanwhile, the player will earn a monthly salary of € 10,000 (approximately 65,000 Ghana Cedis), potentially 20 times more than what he earns in Kotoko.
It is believed that you will also receive additional incentives, including a personal car.
The deal is expected to be finalized this week.
How can local clubs compete?
Daniel Lomotey, who left WAFA to Setif in February after scoring eight goals this season, is reported to have a monthly salary of $ 8,000.
With Opoku also on € 10,000 a month, the question arises: how can Ghana’s Premier League clubs hope to keep their best stars long enough to bond with fans?
Even more damaging to the local league’s credibility is that Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, the two biggest teams, have been reduced to feeder clubs. With all their tradition and pedigree, they cannot pay their players well enough to avoid the interest of ordinary clubs here on the African continent.
The question, then, of whether the local league can create megastars soon becomes moot.
Because the simple answer is no.
