Teen prodigy Ernest Nuamah is a graduate of the Right To Dream academy in his native Ghana, which is part of an ownership group that includes Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland, and his potential was such that he was fast-tracked into their squad aged just eighteen in early 2022.
A fast, tricky and lively forward, who can play on either flank or through the middle, Nuamah was born in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city, in November 2003 and looks set to be the latest top attacking talent to emerge from the country, following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Abedi Pele, Anthony Yeboah and Asamoah Gyan.
Nuamah made a sensational start to his career in Denmark when he came off the bench to score on his debut for FC Nordsjælland, giving them the lead in what turned out to be a 2-2 draw against Aarhus GF in the Relegation Round of the Danish Superliga. He was used as an impact substitute in every remaining game as FC Nordsjælland went unbeaten for the rest of the campaign.
The 2022-23 season began with Nuamah already an undisputed first choice starter in the FC Nordsjælland line-up and he scored eight goals in twenty-one starts as ‘The Tigers’ finished top of the regular season table. He plundered another four in nine games in the Championship Round as FC Nordsjælland narrowly missed out on the title to FC Copenhagen. A host of individual awards followed including both the Danish Superliga Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year titles.
His stock had now risen so high that he was attracting the attention of scouts from around Europe and when he opened the 2023-34 season with a hat-trick against Viborg FF, Lyon knew that they would have to move quickly to secure his signature.
However, the French club had to contend with budget restrictions imposed by the football licensing authorities during the summer transfer window of 2023 and were unable to raise the funds to sign him outright. Therefore, he was purchased by Lyon’s Belgian partner club, RWD Molenbeek for a fee reportedly in the region of €25 million and then immediately loaned to Lyon with an option to make the move permanent at a later date.
Nuamah’s Lyon debut came in tough circumstances – a confrontation with Qatari-owned super-club Paris-Saint Germain – which was ultimately lost 4-1, and he was thrown in at the deep end with a starting position on the right side of the front line. However, he looked sharp and created a few decent chances for his new team before being replaced by Jeffinho with a quarter of an hour remaining.
His performance was one of the few bright spots in the Lyon side that night and we saw enough to give hope that he will provide the spark to turn Lyon’s disappointing start to the season around.