Ghana forward Ayew says Crystal Palace’s faith in him behind contract extension

Ghana forward Jordan Ayew says the faith Crystal Palace have in him is the reason he opted to extend his stay at the Premier League outfit.

Ayew, who was coming to the end of his contract in South London this month, has penned a one-year extension which will keep him at Selhurst Park until June 2023, and he is happy to stay at the club he calls ‘home’ because of the way he is highly-regarded.

“Crystal Palace is my home and I’m very happy at the football club, they have a lot of faith in me,” Ayew told Ghana’s Radio Gold Sports as reported by Ghanasoccernet.

“You know I extended my contract and I’m very happy and I will continue the adventure there and hopefully this season will be a better one."

The Black Stars forward played 34 games for Patrick Vieira’s side last season, managing three goals and as many assists and he will be hoping to increase his tally in 2022-23.

Ayew joined Palace initially on loan on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2018 after two seasons with Swansea City before making the move permanent ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

His four years at the club has seen him rack up 133 appearances while scoring just 15 goals, leading to criticism from a section of Palace and Ghana fans due to the low numbers.

A family spokesman had to come to his defence last October, telling fans to judge the player based on his contributions to his club and national team and not his goals.

“Jordan Ayew is more of a team player than an individual player,” Fiifi Tackie told a local radio station.

“He doesn’t see anything wrong if he tries to assist than to score. Assess Jordan Ayew by his contribution on the pitch, it is why Patrick Vieira will continue to use him."

That did not stop the criticism, however, as Ayew was booed by a section of fans when he was substituted during Ghana’s World Cup playoff against Nigeria in March, a match that ended 0-0 in Kumasi, before the Black Stars sealed their ticket to Qatar on away goals after a 1-1 draw in Abuja.

The 30-year-old has scored 19 goals for Ghana in 81 appearances, having made his debut in September 2010.