West Ham United, the English Premier League club, have contacted Al Ain about the possibility of taking Asamoah Gyan on loan for the remainder of the season.
The London side, currently 17th in England’s top division, sent correspondence to the UAE champions requesting the Ghanaian’s services as they attempt to stave off relegation. Should the loan period go well, West Ham would look to make the move permanent.
They are in desperate need of attacking flair; they have only 14 goals in 17 league matches, and Ravel Morrison, with three strikes, is their top scorer.
However, Al Ain would be loath to lose Gyan, given the striker has been the country’s most prolific forward since he arrived in June 2012 on loan from Sunderland, another team in the English top flight.
In his first season with Al Ain, Gyan scored 22 league goals to earn the Golden Boot, a contribution that last summer convinced Al Ain to offer him a four-year deal.
Having signed the contract, Gyan continued to find the back of the net at an unrivalled rate; he finished 2012/13 with 31 goals, becoming the first player to reach the 30-goal mark in a single UAE season. With it, Gyan sealed another Golden Boot and a second successive UAE championship.
Despite the success, speculation regarding his future surfaced in the aftermath of last May’s title celebrations, with Gyan suggesting he would consider his position before reporting back in July for pre-season training.
Upon his return, though, he reiterated he was happy at Al Ain, saying: “I don’t regret quitting the English Premier League at all.”
In August, Gyan revealed he had turned down an opportunity to join Galatasaray, after the Turkish side had proposed to make him their highest earner.
At Al Ain, Gyan is believed to earn €3 million (Dh15m) per year. Gyan said of Galatasaray’s approach: “As a footballer things happen if you do well, definitely there’ll be teams attracted to you. … I have to just continue with my career. I’m happy with what I’m doing now, and I feel stable at Al Ain.”
Gyan, who turned 28 last month, has been prolific again this season, with 14 goals in 11 league rounds. However, Al Ain are off to a modest start this season, and are sixth in the league.
A switch to the Premier League might seem an attractive option for Gyan, who would be keen to sharpen his skills in one of the world’s top leagues in anticipation of Ghana’s 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil.
As captain of his national team, he will be expected to lead the west Africans through a difficult group comprising Germany, USA and Portugal.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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