John Paintsil, Assistant Coach of the Black Stars, emphasizes that it's natural for Ghana Premier League players to seek more lucrative contracts abroad. Recently, players such as Emmanuel Keyekeh, Richmond Lamptey, and Steven Mukwala have signed with clubs in Rwanda and Tanzania, illustrating this trend.
Paintsil, a former defender for Berekum Arsenal, believes that teams should not overly depend on individual players for their strength. Addressing the frequent departures of players from the Ghana Premier League, he remarked in an interview on Asempa FM, “Running football is a business, so if the player is young and has the opportunity to go, why not?”
He stressed the importance of having a robust squad to maintain competitiveness and financial stability: “You need to have a big squad if you really want to do business. The player can be 16 years old and the team in Europe can buy for a long-term contract.”
Highlighting the financial realities of football, Paintsil added, “The man who, the chairman, the president himself, who is using his money needs to get a return. So I don't think there's a problem in that.”
He concluded by advising clubs on team-building strategy: “When you are building a team, you need to build the structure well, so that you have many players. Don’t build a team around one or two players.”
