10 players likely to make the Black Stars squad for Qatar 2022

The Black Stars’ head coach, Otto Addo is expected to release his provisional squad for the World Cup in the coming days.

As a directive from FIFA, participants are to submit a provisional squad of not more than 35 players in the final week of October which will later be trimmed to the final 26-man squad for the tournament being hosted by Qatar later this year.

This means that the World Cup door shuts at any player who doesn’t make it onto the provisional list.

TGR Sports takes a look at 10 players who are likely to make the squad list ahead of the Stars’ fourth appearance at the Mundial.

Dede Ayew

As captain of the Black Stars, your guess is as good as ours to have Andre Dede Ayew as our top pick for this list.

A few occasions in football have seen the captain of a squad being dropped from the squad ahead of the tournament, reasons could be lack of form or inadequate playing time at the club level, injury or any act of insubordination which could get him punished.

With the aforementioned reasons not attributed to him, one can say that our most capped player is a sure bet for the upcoming World Cup.

 

Thomas Partey

London-based Partey makes the list and it is not surprising, he played an integral part in the team’s qualification to the Mundial as he scored the most important goal against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the playoffs.

Partey is one of the most experienced players in the Black Stars set-up in recent times and doubles as the deputy captain whose few times of missing a call-up was due to injury.

His current form with the club, Arsenal makes him a must-have at the tournament.

 

Jordan Ayew

Experienced Jordan Ayew cannot be left out of the squad provided he is fit.

Many Ghanaian fans may not be satisfied with his input in the national team in recent times due to his goal-drought season, the Crystal Palace-based forward has made 10 appearances for the Stars this year and has scored 1 goal which is quite disturbing as much is expected of him.

However, the keyword when his name is mentioned is work rate and seems technical handlers of both club and country have grown to love him for his effort on the field of play and that will get him a slot on the squad list

 

Inaki Williams

Inaki Williams is a Ghanaian born in Spain who recently made a switch to feature for the Black Stars and made his debut in the Stars’ 3-0 defeat to Brazil last month in Le Havre, France.

The outcry of many Ghanaian football lovers for a goal poacher upfront seems to have been heard with his inclusion, the Athletic Bilbao striker is very good with his scoring abilities and any attempt to leave him out of the squad will not be good news to the fans.

Inaki has made 10 appearances at club level in Spain and has scored 4 goals so far.

 

Jojo Wollacott

Wollacott’s inclusion in the Black Stars squad in October 2021 came as a surprise to many who had barely heard his name, the then Swindon Town goalkeeper was invited as a replacement for the safest pair of hands, Richard Ofori who was injured.

He made his debut with the team in a 3–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification win over Zimbabwe on 9 October 2021 and has since taken over as the Stars first-choice goalkeeper.

Wollacott’s setback was the team’s poor performance at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations which saw them eliminated at the group stage of the competition. This led to many questioning his inclusion in the squad but that was short-lived when he kept the posts in the World Cup playoffs which Ghana qualified at the expense of Nigeria.

 

Dennis Odoi

Born to a Ghanaian father and Belgian mother, Denis Frimpong Odoi has spent most of his days as a professional footballer playing for various clubs in Belgium and even played once for the senior national team in 2012.

Nicknamed the Professor because of his maturity and discipline on the field of play, Odoi stated his intention to play for Ghana in 2014 and has become the definition of never lose hope in your dreams because 8 years later, he made his debut on March 25 this year.

The right-footed full-back who can play on both sides, gave a good account of himself after his debut, and has gone ahead to make 4 appearances for the Black Stars.

At club level, the 34-year-old has been enjoying lots of playtime at Belgian First Division A side Club Brugge KV, since joining them in February this year.

His impressive performance with the Belgian side has earned him four clean sheets in this year’s European Champions League competition, and such a player if not injured cannot be left out of the squad.

 

Kudus Mohammed

The exclusion of star boy Kudus might cause demonstrations on the streets of Accra, with the Suburb of Nima leading.

The youngster has scored five times for the senior national team since his debut in 2019.

The in-form attacker is a must-have in the squad to reproduce his impressive form with the Dutch club, Ajax where he has scored nine goals so far after 10 appearances.

But who would drop the youngster who has been tipped to shine at the upcoming World Cup? Well, not much can be said about him because the Ajax star is heading to the world cup.

 

Mohammed Salisu

One way to avoid humiliation at the World Cup is to have a solid defence for the team and that is where Mohammed Salisu comes in.

The highly-ranked defender in the English Premier League finally made his debut for the Stars in their international friendly against Brazil on 23 September this year, as a second-half substitute in the game which exposed the team’s defensive challenges, conceding 3 goals in the first half.

Salisu introduction saw an improved side in the second half and proved to the Ghanaian fans why he is ranked high in England. He was later given his first start in their next match against Nicaragua where the team managed to keep a clean sheet.

After missing out on a few national team call-ups, Ghanaian fans were excited to see the young player in the Black stars jersey and will not accept him missing out on the final squad.

 

Fatawu Issahaku

Issahaku may be the youngest player in the recent Black Stars team but his impressive display on the field of play when called upon makes him one of the wingers for Qatar 2022.

The teenager has already cemented himself as a key player in the Stars setup following his exploits at the under-20 level where he won the African title with Ghana, and was adjudged the best player of the tournament.

The 18 year old after the youth tournament, became a toast of top European clubs, including Liverpool, Red Bull Salzburg, Ajax, Basel, Bayer Leverkusen, and Sporting CP, which he later joined.

The rising star has made 10 appearances for the senior team and was on the scoresheet in the team’s recent friendly against Nicaragua. He has won the admiration of both the technical team and the Ghanaian public and will sure make the final squad.

 

Philemon Baffour

Surprised he made the list?

Well even when he was not the best full-back in the Ghana U-20 side which won the CAF U-20 AFCON or was at his best in the local scene for Dreams FC, Baffour was handed call-ups and was even included in the team that represented the country at the 2021 AFCON.

Despite his presence in camp, Baffour did not get playing time with the Black Stars when the regular at his position was injured. Rather, Mohammed Fatawu got emergency call up to replace first-choice right-back Andy Yiadom in the Blacks Stars game against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa. The story of Philemon Baffour is similar to that of Edwin Gyimah who is often invited to the team but had to warm the bench.

So counting the number of times, the 20-year-old has made the list, it will be surprising if he is displaced by others. He walks the fine line between gamble and certainty.