Charles Taylor, former Ghana international winger and legend of Hearts of Oak, has expressed doubts about the abilities of Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Ibrahim Danlad.
This comes after Danlad conceded eight goals in three matches during the 2023 U23 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where the Ghana U23 team, the Black Meteors, were eliminated after the group stage with a 3-2 win over Congo, a 5-1 defeat against Morocco, and a 1-1 draw versus Guinea.
Taylor, who also played for the Black Stars and was a part of the Ghanaian squad at the 2023 CHAN tournament, took a dig at Danlad, who was the starting goalkeeper for the team.
He questioned the perception that Danlad is considered the best goalkeeper, pointing to the eight goals conceded during the tournament as evidence that there may be a lack of seriousness in evaluating talent.
“One goalkeeper (Danlad Ibrahim) conceded 8 goals in one tournament but here you guys say he is the best. So you can clearly see that we are joking here,” the legend of Hearts of Oak said.
The former Hearts of Oak legend further commented on the state of coaching in Ghana, suggesting that there is a lack of quality coaches. Taylor argued that when players travel abroad, they realize the difference in coaching standards, and this often affects their ability to replicate their form outside of Ghana.
He praised the excellent coaches found in other countries and expressed disappointment in the level of coaching in Ghana, referring to local coaches as "local champions."
“When you travel , that is when you realize that we don’t have quality coaches here. Travel and you see the difference and that is why our players fail to replicate their form over there.
Taylor concluded by stating that if Ghanaian teams struggle to win games against teams like Madagascar and Guinea, it reflects the inadequacy of their competitiveness outside of Ghana.
"They have excellent coaches there. But here what we have are local champions. If you cannot win games against Madagascar , Guinea and co , then what are you?. Simply they are not good enough to compete outside Ghana” , Taylor added.
Overall, Taylor's comments highlight concerns about the performances of Ghanaian goalkeepers and the coaching standards in the country, as well as the challenges faced by Ghanaian players when competing internationally.
