Emmanuel Keyekeh

Emmanuel Keyekeh
Personal information
Full name Emmanuel Kwame Keyekeh
Date of birth (1997-12-21) 21 December 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Tamale, Ghana
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Chihuahua Fútbol Club
Number 6
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Karela United 35 (0)
2020–2022 Asante Kotoko 24 (0)
2022– Chihuahua Fútbol Club 33 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Emmanuel Kwame Keyekeh (born 21 December 1997) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as midfielder for Liga Premier side Chihuahua Fútbol Club. He previously played for Unistar Academy and Karela United and Asante Kotoko.

Club career

Early career

Keyekeh started his career with Ghana Division One League side Unistar Academy and played there for 5 years before securing a move to Nzema-based club Karela United.[1][2][3]

Karela United

Keyekeh signed a three-year deal with Karela United in December 2017. He made his debut in the Ghana Premier League on 25 March 2018 in a 1–1 draw against Eleven Wonders FC, coming on in the 66th minute for Jean Vital Ourega.[4] He later went on to make 9 league appearances in the 2018 Ghanaian Premier League, before the league was cancelled due to the dissolution of the GFA in June 2018, as a result of the Anas Number 12 Expose.[5] During the 2019 GFA Normalization Committee Special Competition, he became a key member squad and featured in all 14 league matches to help Karela place second behind Hearts of Oak in group B.[5] At the end of the competition, there were reports that Nigerian club Enyimba FC and Ghanaian club Kumasi Asante Kotoko had shown interest in signing him but no deals were reached with either clubs.[6] He however went on to play 11 league matches and was adjudged the man of the match three times in 2019–20 Ghana Premier League before the league was put on hold and later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][1]

Asante Kotoko

In early September 2020, there were reports that Asante Kotoko had signed Keyekeh. He was also linked to other top Ghanaian teams Hearts of Oak, Aduana Stars and Legon Cities FC.[7][8] On 30 September 2020, Asante Kotoko announced that they had signed him to bolster Maxwell Konadu's squad ahead of their CAF Champions League campaign and the 2020–21 Ghana Premier League.[2][9] He signed a 3-year deal after successful negotiations and completing his mandatory medical examination.[7][2][9] He featured for the club in their 2020–21 CAF Champions League campaign.[10] On 29 November 2020, he played 45 minutes of a 1–1 draw against FC Nouadhibou before being substituted for Sulley Muniru at half-time.[11] He made his league debut on the 15 November 2020 in a 1–1 draw against Eleven Wonders FC, he came on in the 84th minute for Ibrahim Osman to make a cameo appearance.[12]

Style of play

Keyekeh operates as a central midfielder and a defensive midfielder.[13][14][3] Due to his role as a box-to-box midfielder he has been compared to Michael Essien and Yaya Toure.[3] Based on his role as a midfielder Keyekeh idolises the African duo along with Kevin De Bruyne, Paul Pogba and Sulley Muntari.[14] He sees them as his role models and draws inspirations and tips from them to improve his game.[14] As a box-to-box midfielder he has the ability to exert energy in supporting both offensive and defensive play.[3] His physicality during a match is shown in his powerful and tough tackling playing style.[3]

Honours

Asante Kotoko

References

  1. ^ a b "#Donkomi: Kotoko confirm signing of Emmanuel Keyekeh". Citi Sports Online. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Done Deal: Kotoko Sign Midfield Maestro Emmanuel Keyekeh". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Emmanuel Kwame Keyekeh – The heart of the Karela midfield". Prime News Ghana. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Match Report of Karela United FC vs Eleven Wonders FC – 2018-03-25 – Zylofon Cash Premier League – Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Emmanuel Keyekeh – Soccer player profile & career statistics – Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Exclusive: Asante Kotoko SC Join Enyimba United In Race For Karela United Midfielder Emmanuel Keyekeh". 442 GH. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  7. ^ a b "BREAKING: Kotoko complete signing of highly-rated midfielder Emmanuel Keyekeh – Kickgh.com". www.kickgh.com. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  8. ^ Sienu, Sheikh Tophic (17 September 2020). "Emmanuel Keyekeh complete Asante Kotoko move – Reports". Football Made In Ghana. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ a b "Asante Kotoko confirm signing of midfielder Emmanuel Keyekeh". GhanaSoccernet. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Asante Kotoko vs. Nouadhibou – 6 December 2020 – Soccerway". gh.soccerway.com. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Nouadhibou vs. Asante Kotoko – 29 November 2020 – Soccerway". gh.soccerway.com. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Match Report of Asante Kotoko SC vs Eleven Wonders FC – 2020-11-15 – Ghana Premier League – Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Kotoko complete signing of midfielder Emmanuel Keyekeh from Karela United". GhanaWeb. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  14. ^ a b c Asare, Nana (16 October 2020). "De Bruyne, Pogba, Essien, find out Kotoko new boy Keyekeh's role models". Football Made In Ghana. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)