Ernest Nuamah: Analyzing Lyon’s Prospective Club-record Signing
Club: Nordsjælland
Nationality: Ghana
Position(s): RW, ST, LW
Preferred Foot: Left
Height: 5’10”/178cm
Age: 19
Strengths: dribbling, agility, vision, pace, power, finishing, crossing, upper body strength, versatility
Areas for Improvement: consistency, decision-making
After Andreas Schjelderup (Benfica), Simon Adingra (Brighton), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Rennes) and Mohammed Kudus (Ajax), the latest player to depart Danish club FC Nordsjælland for one of Europe’s biggest clubs could be Ernest Nuamah. Olympique Lyonnais look set to complete the signing of Nuamah on loan with an obligation to buy for a club-record €25 million plus €5m in add-ons, with the teenager signing a contract through 2028.
Nuamah is on the verge of becoming the fourth Ghanaian player to play for Lyon after Abedi Ayew Pele, John Mensah and Michael Essien, with Les Gones splurging the cash and bringing in one of the top-rated attackers in Scandinavia after a summer that would see them lose various key players like Moussa Dembele, Castello Lukeba, Malo Gusto, and Houssem Aouar.
A power, direct winger who has an eye for goal and great finishing ability, he’s a high-volume dribbler who’s constantly looking to take on his man, manipulating the ball with both feet when dribbling, whilst his flair and body feints then enable him to bait his markers to fix on their weaker side then exploit it by powering past them.
Nuamah is super agile and can beat three, four, or five players at once with a last-second turn away from defenders, dribbling with real ferocity and conviction. He uses his body to shield the ball well whilst carrying it, and his upper body strength & compact build make him tough to dispossess. He has electric pace and is a lethal threat in transition, with his stride variance enabling him to launch a counter-attack by himself — initially, he chops his stride to quickly turn past players before opening up and bursting into the space ahead of him.
Not only is he a direct player, but he also has great vision and can pick out through balls, progressive passes and quality crosses to teammates. However, Nuamah often looks to carry the ball too often. His decision-making needs refining because at the moment he has the ability to create and score goals but lacks the application. Often, he tries to do too much when he has the ball and would be better off playing quick passes and then moving into space.
The Ghanaian is the latest product of the Right to Dream academy, founded by Nordsjælland owner Tom Vernon, to make an impact for the Danish club after Mohammed Kudus and Kamaldeen Sulemana. He thrives in multiple positions but mainly as a right winger, where he has space to run towards the byline as well as the option to cut inside and line up for a shot or a cross.
He scored 15 goals and 4 assists in 34 appearances last season, being named as the Danish Superliga Player of the Year for 2022/23 as well as the Danish Superliga Young Player of the Year. He kicked off the 2023/24 campaign with a hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Viborg, coming off the bench in their 3-1 win vs. AGF, before starting and grabbing a goal and an assist in a 3-1 vs. Brondby.
Nuamah would start in their 0-0 draw to Romanian side FCSB before once again starting in their 2-0 win in the second leg as they progressed to the final round of the Europa Conference League qualifiers, thrashing Serbian giants Partizan 5-0 and bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat at Silkeborg, although he was not involved in either of the last two matches with the Danish club eager to preserve their Ghanaian prodigy amid a potential big-money move.
After their goalless draw in Bucharest, Nuamah grabbed a start in their match at Randers FC, despite the attempts of their opponents. Randers took to social media and beseeched clubs like PSG and Ajax to buy him immediately “so we don’t have to face this beast of a player. Buy him now before his market value rises even more. We will reward the club that manages to buy Nuamah before Sunday’s game with a case of Bla Thor Beer, Kronjylland’s finest. You will not regret either the purchase of Nuamah or the taste of Bla Thor.”
Dear chairman of @PSG_inside, @AFCAjax and all other clubs interested in Ernest Nuamah.
Please buy him now 🙏
At the very latest before the game on Sunday, so we don't have to face this beast of a player 😬
Read arguments for buying him in the picture… #sldk #randersfc pic.twitter.com/jk5nEhJNA5
— Randers FC (@Randers_FC) August 10, 2023
Unfortunately for Randers, Nuamah not only started but opened the scoring within 13 minutes in a 5-0 win at Randers, yet another performance that left potential suitors in no doubt about his world-class potential. At 19 years of age, he has already made his Black Stars debut and taken the Danish top-flight by storm, and he looks set to be rewarded with a move to Europe’s top 5 leagues sooner rather than later.
By: Ben Mattinson / @Ben_Mattinson_
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Lars Ronbog / FrontzoneSport