By Akyereko Frimpong-Manson
While the dust is yet to settle on the 25-year-old’s shocking move away from the Stadium of Light to the Arabian Peninsula, one conclusion can be drawn; Gyan’s career is set to backpedal at least for the next nine months or so.
Steve Bruce, the Sunderland manager was left red-faced when the news broke out on Saturday morning but he has since maintained that Gyan’s classy stoppage time finish against the Three Lions in March marked a negative turning point in his career.
Bruce claimed scores of agents queued up to lure his £13 million summer signing away from the Wearside.
Gyan forced Bruce to stump out £13 million just over a year ago; a club recording signing and has now moved a step further in his world of record setting netting the biggest loan move ever in the transfer market.
Amidst the lack of clarity and confusion over who endorsed the move, Chairman Niall Quinn has given the licence to Steve Bruce to reinvest the £6 million generated from the deal in the January transfer window.
The two initially appeared heading in the opposite direction.
While Steve Bruce eulogised his striker’s departure and never wanted to see him again at the Stadium of Light, Quinn was drawing plans on how to reimburse the lamenting Bruce and said the former Rennes star is welcome back to the Wearside.
The offer was staggering and irresistible and as Gyan admitted just after completing the switch, it was ‘too good to refuse’. £200,000 a week is indeed gyan-gantic and more than four times the amount he was earning in the English Premier.
It’s a good deal and could help him complete his recently launched charity project in Ghana.
He has already pledged a massive donation to the Sunderland Foundation.
In these entire financial fantasies for the Black Stars hitman, only one clear conclusion can be drawn; his career is set to backpedal.
He will lose his grace, dignity and power on the pitch.
Just last December, our eyes were bleeding for the striker for what we felt was great indiscretion exercised by the BBC 2010 African Footballer of the Year.
The former Udinese striker was in devastating form for Ghana at the 2010 World Cup and signed off the season with a glittering performance for Sunderland scoring eleven goals in thirty-one games in the premiership.
With all the criticisms behind him, Gyan was gradually gaining international and world class recognition but this hard won reputation will fade away at least for the next nine months.
Comparing standards, football in the United Arab Emirates is ranked 108 on the Fifa ranking while English Premiership is the number one ranked league competition in the world.
This alone spells out the level to which Gyan has descended.
The premiership presents greater challenge and opportunity contrary to his disillusionments on the move.
All the tough-tackling, intelligent and bullying defenders are stationed in the premiership.
Gyan is certainly going to enjoy a moment of one-eyed king in the land of the blind men and will lose that sharpness in front of goal.
Black Stars coach Goran Stevanovic will have cause to worry. With the magnitude of discouraging performance put on show by striker Prince Tagoe, Gyan still remains the true livewire in the Ghana attack.
This will only mean one hard resolution for the Serbian tactician; he must now concentrate on either scouting for new striking prospect or sharpen Jordan Ayew and do massive work on the finishing of Prince Tagoe and Dominic Adiyiah.
Samuel Eto’o who was handed the Caf Award on a silver platter last year has now moved to a lower league.
Had Gyan remained in the Premiership and perform creditably this season; he was obviously going to wear the crown.
This award is far behind him.
No scale of performance in the UAE league can peck him above other African stars who play in much respectable leagues in Europe.
Steve Bruce the Sunderland manager told the BBC after his side’s 2-1 reverse to Chelsea that for him the door is shut behind Gyan and he is not welcomed back in.
But club chairman Niall Quinn has gone the opposite direction.
For him, Gyan is the hen that lays the golden eggs and he is welcomed in at the end of his loan spell.
This situation will only create a situation of lack of loyalty and distrust between the striker and Gyan.
The thousands of spectators that rush to the pub to see Gyan in the Sunderland shirt every weekend has been put on hold temporarily.
Gyan must hit 40 goals for Al Ain if he means serious business.
He must put up a performance that is far better than what Abedi Pele did when he signed for the same club at the age of 34.
Abedi netted 28 goals in 31 games for the club.
So Gyan nine years younger than Abedi’s age must rain the goals in and back it with a commanding performance in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in January.
Gyan has surely had the cash, but the question marks on his vision on mounting the podium as a footballer is big.