Eddie Nketiah on Ghana rumours: The future will take care of itself

Nketiah was born in Lewisham, south London, to Ghanaian parents, and began his youth career at Chelsea before moving to Arsenal.

He made his debut for Arsenal as an 18-year-old in September 2017 and went on to score 38 goals in 168 appearances before his £30m move to London for Palace in August 2024.

Nketiah has previously been approached by the Ghana Football Association, which regularly scouts for expatriate talent. Chelsea Under-21 international Joshua Acheampong is another recent example who has received an offer.

National team coach Otto Adu revealed that some players who resisted such overtures in the past have now changed their minds with the World Cup approaching.

But while Nketiah has not ruled out a switch, he has denied there has been any recent contact with the Ghana Football Association.

“I haven’t been getting any calls or anything lately, so my focus has been on playing well every week and helping my team win titles,” he said.

“If I am in good shape and doing the right things then naturally the international future will be decided when the time comes to make this decision.”

Addressing the hot topic of recalling players who have no role in qualifying, Adu explained that the matter will be considered on a “case-by-case” basis.

Speaking to 3Sports, external “I think Ghana should always have some pride as a country. We need to follow up on every player and check their commitment, which is crucial, because we have a very good unit and I certainly don’t want to ruin that,” he said last month.

While Kofi Adams, Ghana’s Minister of Sports and Entertainment, said that Adu and his technical team will have the final say on who will be selected, the situation has left some Black Stars supporters in a gloomy mood.

“The consensus in Ghana is that players who have not accepted invitations to be part of the Black Stars [squad] “In order to qualify for the World Cup, these players should not be called up,” sports journalist Muftaw Abdulai told BBC Sport Africa.

“In fact, even some members of Parliament were saying so.

“If you talk to fans in Ghana, they describe them (the players who are now hoping to switch sides) as opportunists.”

Alongside Nketiah and Hudson-Odoi, Como winger Jayden Addai, who is a Netherlands youth national team player, has also been strongly linked.

Meanwhile, like Acheampong, Chelsea striker Tyrique George is another England youth player who could represent Ghana if he chooses to do so – something superstars including Antoine Semenyu, Tariq Lamptey and Inaki Williams have done in recent years.

“There was a point where it is believed that the former president of the country, Nana Akufo-Addo, was personally involved in trying to persuade Hudson-Odoi,” Abdullahi said, before adding that he believed such high-level inducements had come to an end.

“The (GFA) committee members have also spoken. They all say these players should not be called up.”