Afena-Gyan: Ghana forward signs long-term AS Roma contract

Ghana international Felix Afena-Gyan has extended his contract with Serie A side AS Roma.

The teenager – who has made 22 appearances for the Giallorossi to date and scored two goals - put pen to paper after agreeing on a long-term contract that will run until 2026.

"The club is pleased to announce that forward Felix Afena-Gyan has signed a new contract with the Giallorossi," AS Roma announced on Wednesday.

"Afena-Gyan, 19, has agreed on terms for a four-year extension that runs until June 30, 2026.

After signing the new deal, the Ghanaian revealed his expectations going forward: "I am really pleased to have signed this contract," Afena-Gyan said.

"Ever since I arrived at this club, my aim was to get into the first team, and since I did that, my life has changed a lot.

"Now, I need to just concentrate on continuing to improve, I am motived to start the new season in the best possible way."

The club’s general manager, Tiago Pinto, explained the importance of Afena-Gyan’s contract, especially in providing a link between the junior team and their senior counterparts.

"Felix has vast room for improvement and has the opportunity to make the most of that potential under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, a coach who is pivotal to the development of our young players," said Pinto.

"This contract extension also represents another demonstration of how the link between our first-team squad and our academy setup continues to get stronger."

The Black Stars forward joined AS Roma’s youth setup in early 2021 and achieved quite a remarkable progress from the U18s to the Primavera side. As the 2021/22 season began, Mourinho called him to the senior team.

After Afena-Gyan made his professional debut against Cagliari in October 2021, a few weeks later, the Ghanaian opened his account for the club with two late goals in a substitute appearance against Genoa.

He made his international debut with the West African nation as the Black Stars beat Nigeria and qualified for the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar between November and December.

During a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar, Afena-Gyan scored his first international goal on June 1, 2022. He also provided an assist for Mohamed Kudu’s opening goal as they won by a 3-0 margin.