Joseph Esso: Algerian club MC Alger snap up Dreams FC striker

Dreams FC striker Joseph Esso has signed for Algerian side MC Alger, the buying club have announced.

The 24-year-old joins Maloudia in a three-year deal after impressing for Still Believe in the Ghana Premier League.

He becomes the third Ghanaian to ditch the GPL for the Algerian Ligue 1, following in the footsteps of Daniel Lomotey and Kwame Opoku.

"Algeria's MC administration informs its dear supporters it has bought the contract of 24-year-old Dreams Ghanaian striker Joseph Esso to MC for three years, and the administration will serve to recruit one or two players to support this transfer. Long live the newborn," Maloudia have announced on their official Facebook page.

Esso's transfer comes only two days after leaving Ghana's camp following their matches against South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, although he did not feature in either.

While this was his first call-up to the main Black Stars side, Esso has made headlines playing for the B outfit as he netted twice at the 2019 Wafu Zone B Cup of Nations in Senegal, where Ghana finished as runners-up.

After the tournament, he was heavily linked to Sudanese side Al-Hilal Omdurman but no deal materialised.

So far in the Premier League this season, the 24-year-old has netted 10 times in 16 matches for Dreams FC, standing as the current second top scorer, just two strikes behind Diawisie Taylor of Karela United.

Esso, one time on the books of Ebusua Dwarfs, joined Dreams in August last year after failing to reach a contract renewal agreement with 19-time GPL champions Heart of Oak. He was linked with league giants Asante Kotoko before sealing a deal with Dreams.

Earlier this month, Algerian side USM Algiers announced the acquisition of Asante Kotoko striker Opoku in a three-year deal, the striker having scored seven times in 15 matches.

Nearly two months earlier, Wafa striker Lomotey, at the time the leading scorer in the GPL, joined ES Setif in a three-year contract, having struck eight times in nine matches.