On 24th, April 2021, the porcupines lost 2-1 to Medeama SC at home at the Obuasi Lenclay Sports Stadium. This is a game every porcupine warrior will reckon how the midfield trio of Habib Mohammed, Emmanuel Sarkodie and Fabio Gama were completely outplayed and overshadowed by current captain Richard Boadu, Eric Kwakwa and Rashid Nortey. Our latest addition, Nortey, was unplayable and a delight to watch that afternoon at Obuasi. He earned a callup to the Black Stars under the tutelage of former Porcupine gaffer, Charles Kwabla Akunnor and was finally crowned Medeama's player of the Season 2020/2021.
On the 18th of January, 2023, Nortey officially joined us and becomes the third midfielder in less than two years from the yellow and mauves to be signed by our outfit after former teammates Richard Boadu and Justice Blay had secured their dream moves to the Garden City.
The arrival of the diminutive midfield dynamo brings lots of positives to the porcupine warriors despite the options already available in midfield.
Nortey’s capture intensifies the already existing competition both in holding and attacking midfield departments. The likes of Eric Zeze, Richmond Lamptey, Shadrack Addo, and Occasionally Enoch Morrison would have to battle Nortey for the single slot in Central Attacking midfield role in Seydou Zerbo’s much preferred 4-3-3 attacking formation. Nortey is also an option in deep or holding midfield where he would compete with Captain Richard Boadu, Versatile midfielders Sherif Mohammed and Justice Blay, Ernest Osei Poku as well as young prodigy Rocky Dwamena.
The Accra-born midfielder presents Seydou Zerbo with the luxury of different midfield pairings and tactical variations with his passing accuracy, shooting abilities, press-resistance, without the ball contribution, good workrate, excellent decision making in crucial moments and set pieces capabilities.
The Burkinabe tactician is also given the option of playing a diamond or midfield of four with Nortey’s ability to play both on the right and left midfield or on the tip the diamond as he usually did the previous season in Omar Rabi’s preferred 4-man central midfield in the 5-4-1 formation.
The arrival of Rashid Nortey pushes the porcupines to have the undoubtedly the most complete and strongest midfield in the country which will help the club in their quest to win the Double this season.
By: Ernest Boadu
Source: scAsantekotoko.com