4 Quick Questions with Daniel Ajuh

 4 Quick Questions with Daniel Ajuh 

What is the most under-appreciated aspect of African players settling in Europe?

The most under-appreciated aspect of African players settling in Europe is their ability to

quickly adapt to different environments.

African populations are very diverse with many countries having hundreds of ethnic groups

and languages. For example, Cameroon has over 200 different ethnic groups and around

260 different languages. These different ethnic groups also have different cultures as shown

through the varied foods, dress and religions. This means that African players can easily fit

into a new country as they are used to interacting with people from different cultures and

backgrounds.

How has Covid-19 sped up or slowed down African players moving from Africa to Europe?

COVID-19 has slowed down African players moving to Europe.

The key reason being that European clubs are limited in terms of live scouting of African

players in Africa due to tight COVID-19 travel restrictions on entering most African

countries. As many European clubs feel they need to live scout players before signing them

and cannot do that for these players presently, they decide not to sign the players. This is

compounded by the COVID-19 restrictions in place in many European countries for

foreigners which has prevented some European clubs from signing African players or

bringing in African players on trials as the clubs cannot obtain the requisite visas for the

players to enter the countries the clubs are based in.

Longer-term I suspect that small to medium sized European clubs who in 2-3 years’ time will

still be suffering from the impact that COVID-19 has had on their finances will look to Africa

more to sign players. This is because African players playing in Africa will offer better value

for money than players in other markets.

What club or clubs do the best job at nurturing African players in a new environment?

I think Metz and Nordsjaelland nurture African players in a new environment better than

any other European clubs. Interestingly, both clubs have close ties to African youth player

development in Senegal and Ghana respectively.

Metz give financial support to Generation Foot, a club in Senegal to develop players and in

return Metz get the pick of Generation Foot’s best players. In recent years the likes of Sadio

Mane and Pape Matar Sarr moved from Generation Foot to Metz, adapted rapidly and

became standout performers for Metz in a short space of time. Key factors behind the

smooth transition from Senegal to France for Generation Foot academy prospects is the way

the players are supported, encouraged and integrated on arriving in France.

Nordsjaelland, is similar to Metz as they too have a direct link to African football. The club’s

owners also own the Right to Dream academy in Ghana. The best players from the Right to

Dream academy are moved to Nordsjaelland and given opportunities to play in the Danish

Superliga very quickly. As seen from the likes of Kamaldeen Sulemana and Mohammed

Kudus. Due to the connection between the Right to Dream academy and Nordsjaelland, the

more talented players from the academy are prepared for life in Denmark before moving

and then given the right support and guidance to thrive in Denmark once there.

Some other European clubs who have nurtured African players well in recent years include

Lille, Sheriff Tiraspol, FC Midtjylland, Yeni Matalyaspor, Basel and Trencin.

Is Scandinavia an attractive destination for African players? Why?

Scandinavia is a very attractive destination for African players. I think there are two key

reasons for this.

Firstly, the difference in level between the top Scandinavian leagues and the level many

African players are playing at in Africa is not too significant. These players know that it will

be easier and take less time for them to adjust to the demands of the Scandinavian leagues

compared to higher level European leagues. In turn, enabling them to receive first-team

chances and cement themselves as regular starters quicker.

Additionally, many African players have excelled in Scandinavia over the last 20+ years and

gone on to have great careers at the highest levels of European football. Therefore, many

African players know that if they shine in Scandinavia that will open up a host of

opportunities for them to play in better leagues and for bigger clubs across Europe.

On a side note, Scandinavia is particularly attractive to English-speaking African players from

Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa etc, as a high proportion of people in Scandinavia are

fluent in English. This makes it far easier for players from these English-speaking African

countries to adapt to life in Scandinavia as they can easily communicate with their

teammates, managers, club officials and with the general public in their private lives.

Check out Daniel's blog as well (LINK)