Eddie Nketiah
GHANAsoccernet.com can exclusively report that the Ghana FA has ended their pursuit of Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
The country’s top-rated football website can confirm that following several attempts to convince the England U-21 international to switch nationality and play at the World Cup in Qatar, the Arsenal forward is yet to budge.
Nketiah remains hesitant to commit his international future to Ghana despite efforts from the West African country’s football association.
Nketiah stated his willingness to play for Ghana in an interview in August of this year, prompting the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to step up their pursuit of him for the Black Stars.
The Ghana FA wants Nketiah, England U-21s all-time leading scorer, to be part of the Black Stars squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, but with less than a month to go, Nketiah has yet to give his approval.
The Ghana FA led by President Kurt Okraku, are collaborating with the technical team of the Black Stars to ensure that the Black Stars have a strong squad in Qatar for the tournament, which begins on November 20.
So far, they have secured the commitments of Mohammed Salisu, Inaki Williams, Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer, Stephan Ambrosius, and Tariq Lamptey.
The inclusion of these five players has given Ghanaians hope for the tournament, but the GFA believes Nketiah can contribute to Ghana’s attack, but the striker appears uninterested in Ghana at the moment.
Nketiah is having a difficult season at Arsenal after signing a long-term contract in the summer.
Manager Mikel Arteta prefers the front three of Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli, so he has been relegated to the bench.
The 23-year-old has only played 356 minutes and has two goals and one assist.