Chris Hughton Highlights Player Exodus as Challenge for Ghana Premier League Competitiveness | Football/Soccer

Black Stars coach, Chris Hughton, has identified the player exodus from the Ghana Premier League as a significant challenge affecting the league's competitiveness.

He acknowledged the ongoing trend of players leaving the league for opportunities abroad during an interview with Akwaaba Radio.

Hughton emphasised the challenges faced by the league in retaining its top talents, with many players opting to move to other African countries or European clubs after successful stints in the Ghanaian league. He pointed out that a significant portion of the current Black Stars squad consists of players who ply their trade abroad.

“This is a question for every head coach in the last couple of years," he told Akwaaba Radio.

“There will always be, of course, players that leave here [Ghana] and go and play in Europe and this is something that has happened for quite some time.”

“If you generally gauge the national team, the Black Stars squad has most of the players playing abroad.”

“This is always the challenge, this is a challenge for the local league, the premier league to be at level, a competitive one that, whoever the Black Stars coach is, can look at it and pick from it," he added.

Hughton's recent call-ups of Medeama duo Jonathan Sowah and Hamidu Fatawu, who both debuted in Ghana’s 3-1 win over Liberia in a friendly, reflect his commitment to identifying and nurturing talent from within the local league.