Footballers are often pilloried in public for chasing money. A transfer saga exemplifies the other side of the football business.
Ernest Nuamah moved from Ghana to Nordsjaelland in early 2022 at the age of 18. The talent showed what he was made of at the Danish club. In 49 games, the attacking player scored 20 times for his team. No wonder the clubs were queuing up.
In the summer of 2023, Nuamah was sold for 25 million euros - to Belgian promoted club RWD Molenbeek. However, the club's partner club Lyon was behind this and immediately loaned out the Ghanaian international with an option to buy. The French club was under observation by the French financial control authority DNCG, as reported by "transfermarkt". Both clubs are owned by US investor John Textor.
However, Nuamah did not really impress in sporting terms last season, scoring three goals in 29 league games. Textor wanted to get rid of the player, Fulham showed interest and agreed a transfer with Lyon. The agreed transfer fee was 19 million euros, with Lyon also receiving a 30 percent share if the player was sold on.
Tears don't lie
But Nuamah's transfer fell through - the player disappeared without a trace during the medical examination. According to eyewitnesses, Nuamah made a very depressed impression and is even said to have shed tears over the impending transfer.
According to "L'Équipe", the 20-year-old feels at home with his current employer and was apparently planning to buy a house in the area. Instead of playing in the Premier League, he wanted to play in the Europa League with Lyon. He is also said to have turned down lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia because of this.
The pressure from president Texor - who, together with head of scouting Matthieu Louis-Jean (with whom Nuamah actually had a relationship of trust) - sought a transfer out of financial necessity, obviously made things difficult for the player. According to the report in the French sports newspaper, the relationship between Nuamah and the club and its most important officials has since returned to normal.
