Crystal Palace youngster Jesurun Rak-Sakyi dumps England for Ghana

Despite representing the England U-21 team, Crystal Palace’s Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has expressed his desire to play for the Ghanaian national team.

The 20-year-old forward, who began his football journey in Chelsea’s youth system before joining Crystal Palace in 2019, is eligible to represent Ghana through his parents. He made his Premier League debut as a substitute in a match against his former club Chelsea on August 14, 2021.

Anthony Hayes, the first-team coach at Charlton Athletic FC, where Rak-Sakyi spent time on loan last season, revealed the young player’s ambitions. Hayes stated, “Jes[urun Rak-Sakyi] has ambitions to play in the Premier League and represent Ghana, to play in World Cup.” Hayes further emphasized Rak-Sakyi’s desire to showcase his talents on a larger stage, which is why he is aiming to don the Ghanaian jersey.

Currently, Rak-Sakyi is dedicating himself to French language classes after his first-team training sessions. He hopes to learn the language in order to effectively communicate with his potential Ghanaian teammates when he joins the national team in the future.

During his loan spell at Charlton Athletic, Rak-Sakyi made a significant impact by scoring an impressive 15 goals in 43 appearances, contributing to the club’s 10th-place finish in the English League 1.

Given the challenges faced by the Ghanaian national team as they strive to reclaim their status as one of Africa’s top sides, the availability of Rak-Sakyi could prove to be a valuable addition. The Ghana Football Association should initiate the process of recruiting this talented youngster into the senior national team.