Emmanuel Essiam trains for the first time at FC Basel

Midfielder, Emmanuel Essiam Midfielder, Emmanuel Essiam

Midfielder Emmanuel Essiam trained for the first time with Swiss giants FC Basel on Thursday, January 6, 2022.

The Ghana U20 star, who sealed a four-and-a-half year deal with Basel on Tuesday joined first team training as practice resumed on Thursday.

The team had earlier planned on travelling to Dubai for the mid-season exercise but a change in decision meant they stayed in Switzerland.

Emmanuel Essiam is expected to play a key role for the club in the second half of the season.

The former Berekum Chelsea player showed quality when Ghana won the U20 Africa Cup of Nations in February last year.

He has also been a key player at Berekum Chelsea before leaving for Europe.

“The knowledge of the size and history of the club, the enthusiastic fans, the national and international successes as well as the stories of African players like Mohamed Salah, Mohamed Elneny and Samuel Inkoom, who launched their European careers at FCB, made me feel that Basel would be the perfect step for my development and my career,” Essiam said after joining the club.

“I’m a central midfielder, I run a lot, I like to go into one-on-one fights and I like to play dominant football with my team. With my game overview, I can support the team both in attack and defense. In the game I try to break through the opposing lines with clever passes. I feel honored and happy to be with FCB!.”