It is easy to forget, sometimes, that Asamoah Gyan is a player of Ghana Premier League side Legon Cities.
Gyan’s return to the Ghanaian top-flight, at the start of the 2020/21 season, was certainly greeted with huge fanfare. And as ‘marquee signings’ come, his decision to join the Royals typified this concept in every sense.
The 35-year-old’s reputation, coupled with the club’s massive investment in other areas and growing appeal, made this the perfect union.
But while Gyan has had a distinguished career — he is reputed for, among other feats, being Africa’s top-scorer in FIFA World Cup history — his output for Cities has reflected little of that distinction.
Hampered by injury and general fitness issues, Gyan has struggled to make an impact at Cities, playing only a handful of games and scoring no goals thus far.
Cast as the man to usher the club into a new era of competitiveness, it took just a few months for Cities to realise that they needed to find another marksman to lead the charge, at least until Gyan found his feet.
Enter Hans Kwofie.
Unable to rely on Gyan for goals immediately, head coach Bashir Hayford quickly turned to his old student to take up that mantle of responsibility.
Having previously mentored Kwofie, Hayford wasted little time in signing him from Ashanti Gold when the striker became available during the season’s second transfer window.
It’s fair to say that Kwofie — who, like Gyan, is well-traveled and also on the wrong side of the 30-year mark — has settled in seamlessly, hitting the ground running and helping haul the team out of the relegation zone.
He has had six goal involvements (five goals, one assist) since arriving in the capital – a return unmatched by any player in that period. But while those numbers are impressive, only those who watch Kwofie play can attest to how effective he actually is.
Kwofie’s movement inside the box is great, he is quick and proactive, and his bulky physique makes him a handful for opposition defenders. Then, of course, there is his aerial threat — another cannon in a well-stocked arsenal.
Kwofie’s goalscoring prowess now has him on course to retain the topscorer’s prize he won at the end of the last completed Premier League season (2017).
In just seven games at Cities, Kwofie has already matched his tally from the entire first round for Ashgold, and the total — 10 — ranks him behind only Joseph Esso (11) and Diawisie Taylor (12) on the league’s scoring chart.
Cities’ original idea was for Gyan to be their impact signing, yet that status currently belongs to Kwofie, who has become, not only the club’s first-choice striker but — more importantly — its leader and best player.
“Asamoah Gyan will only play when he is fit and ready,” Hayford said last week, after yet again leaving the ex-Ghana skipper unused.
“When I was appointed as the head coach, he was nursing an injury but, thankfully, he has returned to the training ground, training with the players. I am only hoping that he will stay fit because he needs to play.”
Cities play Asante Kotoko, the club that first made a bid to sign Gyan when he set his heart on coming back to where it all started, this weekend. In the build-up to the sides’ last meeting, much of the hype revolved around the former Sunderland star, reasonably, but he ultimately failed to deliver a performance worth remembering.
Ahead of their latest engagement with the Porcupine Warriors, though, Gyan Kwofie is rightfully Cities’ most talked-about player — and there’s a good chance he could dominate the post-match discussions, too.
Emmanuel Ayamga — Ink & Kicks
