The PL star believes the Godset player is the best he has played with: In Norway, he is a pain on the bench

– I woke up and saw it. I thought: “What, my God?”. Of course I believe in my talent, but to hear such things from someone I was a teammate with a long time ago, it was incredible, says Emmanuel Danso to NRK.

The Ghanaian’s phone lit up after compatriot Mohammed Kudus had done an interview with Sky Sports in April. It was there that he singled out Danso as the best player he has played with.

– You don’t know who he is now, but you will soon. Emmanuel Danso. I played with him at the academy in Ghana and he is one of the best players I have played with. I have played with many here (at West Ham) and Ajax, but he is the one, Kudus said in the interview.

– I had to see it over and over again. He told me afterwards that he had done an interview, but I didn’t know anything about it, so when I saw it, it was a big surprise. When I looked at the phone I just thought “what?”. Everyone sent it to me and it meant so much to me, says Danso himself.

At 18:00 on Thursday evening Godset meets Lillestrøm in the cup.

805 minutes in a season and a half

The whole thing must be said to be a great contrast. Kudus started his senior career in Danish Nordsjælland, before he was sold to Ajax in 2020. There, the winger really got things going last season, with, among other things, four goals in six games in the Champions League.

The trip went on to London and West Ham, where Kudus has scored 13 goals in 43 games and been among the Premier League team’s best players.

Danso himself has previously played for the second team of the big French club Lyon, before he came to Strømsgodset in the summer of 2022.

There he has struggled to get playing time and only has 805 minutes on the pitch, spread over 21 matches.

In 2024, he opened by playing the last quarter against Molde in the series opener. He has also started in the first and second rounds of the cup, but has been on the bench in the other games – before he sat out the last two games with injury.

The coach: Sees great potential

The clip of Kudus’ words of praise also quickly spread to the Strømsgodset team.

– We know that he is a good friend of Danso’s, so it is probably done as a favor to friends. But I understand that he says that, because he has extreme skills, says captain Gustav Valsvik about the praise.

– It is natural that Kudus mentions Danso as a good footballer. Strømsgodset also saw that they brought him here, and we also see that from time to time in everyday life here, says Godset coach Jørgen Isnes.

Isnes says that the 23-year-old defensive midfielder is a quality player at his best and that he sees huge potential in him, but:

– Then there is the thing about being a footballer for a long time. Being able to stand a training routine, train well enough over time and avoid too many minor injuries. That is also an important part of it, and perhaps Danso has struggled a bit in the past year, says Isnes.

Tracks transfer to the Premier League

Danso and Kudus played together at the academy from the age of twelve in Ghana. Strømsgodset’s right-back Ernest Boahene also played with the two compatriots from an early age.

– I have played with both of them and it is absolutely true what Kudus says. There is no doubt about it, says Boahene about Danso.

The right-back predicts that Danso will soon be in the Premier League and has the potential to become one of the world’s best defensive midfielders. If he stays injury free.

– I think everyone gets their time to shine. He will shine, there is no doubt about it, says Boahene.

– There are probably some physical challenges that mean he doesn’t play anymore. It is putting together several good months of training and matches. He needs that, and if he can do it, then we will probably only have to keep him for a little while, adds midfielder Herman Stengel.

Danso himself sees it simply:

– You just have to work hard and come back stronger. The only thing that matters to me is to work hard, he says.