Eddie Mungai

Like a lot of you, I’m delighted about Thomas Partey’s arrival to the Premier League. Only time will tell what his impact will be on Arsenal, I’m really looking forward to it. Partey now joins his compatriots Mohammed Salisu, Christian Atsu, Jeffrey Schlupp, Jordan Ayew, and Daniel Amartey in representing Ghana this Premier League season. One of them played their youth football at Tema Youth FC: Thomas Partey.

The thing that is commendable about Tema Youth is their mission. When the current owner Wilfred Kwaku Osei (commonly known as ‘Palmer’) bought Tema Youth in 2005, his goal for the team was to “provide a platform for undervalued talents.” He sought out exceptional talents that played on the streets and took time to nurture them to play competitively. According to Palmer, some have gone to Europe. So is Tema Youth doing something right? It’s possible.

Some credit also has to go to Palmer as well. Prior to purchasing Tema Youth, he was the coach for St. Augustine’s College in Ghana. He took the team to various championship appearances, a team comprised of Black Stars legends Michael Essien, Matthew Amoah, and Anthony Obodai. Palmer seems to have an eye for untapped talent, as he was at the helm of Tema Youth when Partey was there. It was at Tema Youth when agent Jose Jimenez from Atletico Madrid organized a trial for Partey.

Tema Youth has spent most of their time in the second division of Ghana football, with a few seasons spent in the top division. And the team can be proud of developing top talents. It’s an admirable mission for a club, there’s no doubt about that. They just purchased land to create modern facilities for their academy, so that bodes well for Tema Youth’s future and it’s development of untapped talent. Let’s see who the next big talent will be.