Ghana’s aspirations of enlisting Eddie Nketiah, the Arsenal forward, to represent the national team, the Black Stars, have suffered a huge blow after he received his inaugural call-up from England.
Gareth Southgate, England’s manager, summoned the talented striker following an impressive start to the season, marked by two goals in three matches for Arsenal. Nketiah’s inclusion in the squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro qualifiers against Ukraine and the friendly fixture with Scotland in September underscores his growing prominence on the international stage.
Despite his involvement in England’s youth teams, Nketiah, 24, maintained eligibility to play for Ghana. However, this recent decision decisively places England at the helm of his international future. In June last year, Nketiah confirmed discussions with Ghana over a potential nationality switch, expressing his openness to both England and Ghana.
With Ghanaian heritage through his parents, he articulated his sentiment, stating, “Being from Ghana, you would be happy that they qualified for the World Cup.” His international future gains additional complexity due to the recently revised FIFA regulations pertaining to changing national teams. Nketiah, who has scored 16 goals for England’s U21 team, was selected ahead of Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins as the third specialist striker behind Harry Kane and Callum Wilson.
Full squad; Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace).
Forwards: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur), Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United).