Ghana have reportedly decided against selecting Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah for this year's World Cup in Qatar.
Nketiah is eligible to represent Ghana at international level but is said to be reluctant about switching his international allegiance. He enjoyed a tremendous youth career with England, scoring 16 goals in 17 caps to become the country's record U21 scorer.
Despite flourishing for the U21s, Nketiah is still waiting for his first cap at senior level. At just 23, there's still plenty of time for him to be called up by Gareth Southgate. He remains highly rated by the Gunners, who handed him a new long-term deal in the summer.
As reported by GHANAsoccernet.com, the Ghana FA has halted their pursuit of Nketiah after making several attempts to persuade him to represent the country at this year's tournament. The player is said to be hesitant to commit his international future to Ghana.
"There have been discussions, but nothing has been decided," Nketiah said in June after putting pen to paper on his fresh contract Arsenal. Ghana have attempted to persuade a number of players to switch their international allegiance ahead of the World Cup.
Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams, who won a single senior cap for Spain in 2016, made his debut for Ghana earlier this year. Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey also became a Ghana international in 2022 after switching his allegiance from England.
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Speaking to The Beautiful Game Podcast in April, Nketiah said: "My parents are both Ghanaian, so of course, it’s a possibility. I am open to both - playing for Ghana or England.
"Like you said, I’ve played for the youth teams so naturally when I was obviously younger, they called me up to go play for them. Being from Ghana, you are obviously happy they have qualified for the World Cup. I know players like [Thomas] Partey, I am happy for them as well. It’s always good to have that opportunity to potentially do that.”
Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is currently on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, is another player on Ghana's radar. "Hudson-Odoi could be added as he is still engaging with the GFA," a source recently told Reuters, as quoted by GHANAsoccer.com.
Hudson-Odoi, 21, won three senior caps for England in 2019 - making a competitive appearance - but hasn't played since. He's also not represented England's U21s since turning down the opportunity to play for them in August 2021.
FIFA allow players to switch nationalities if they have played three senior games or fewer, and those appearances came before the age of 21. Three years must have also passed before their last outing - meaning Hudson-Odoi is eligible from November 17 onwards. Ghana's opening World Cup game is against Portugal on November 24.
Neither Nketiah nor Hudson-Odoi are expected to be part of Southgate's squad for the World Cup due to their club form. Nketiah has scored two goals this season, while Hudson-Odoi is yet to find the net at Leverkusen.
