Jordan Ayew Crystal Palace 2019-20Getty Images

Jordan Ayew reveals 'chief coach' behind improved Premier League form 

Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew has revealed the influence of his legendary footballing father and 1993 Uefa Champions League winner Abedi Pele has helped him take his game to the next level this season.

Arguably in the form of his life, Jordan has notched nine Premier League goal for the Eagles do far this term, standing as the club's top scorer.

He is only three strikes shy of equalling his all-time best season haul of 12 goals, a feat he reached while playing for French side Lorient in 2014-15.

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“My dad has given us so much, in everything, and not only to me, to the whole family," Ayew told Sky Sports.

"The only way we can say thank you is to perform week in, week out for him to be proud and that's what we try to do.

"He doesn't watch the games live because he's a bit too anxious, so they record them and he watches them afterwards.

"Then, when he's finished, he briefs me a bit. If I've not done well, he tells me I've not done well. And if I have done well, he still tells me I've not done well.

"It drives me. I can't give my dad enough praise, really. He's unbelievable and I'm lucky to have a father who knows football."

Ayew's exploit this season has seen him overtake former Leeds United star Anthony Yeboah as the all-time top-scoring Ghanaian in Premier League history with 25 accumulated goals.

"Tony Yeboah is massive, maybe the best striker of all-time in Ghana, so to beat his total and get to 25 goals in the Premier League is a great achievement for me and my family," the 28-year-old added.

“I’ve always thought that I was a good finisher, but sometimes you just need a bit of luck.

“This year, I’ve had quite a bit of luck, but luck doesn’t just come like that, you need to provoke it. I’ve been working really, really hard on that but there’s still room for improvement."

Ayew is also on the brink of breaking another record, this time at Palace, with seven more matches to the end of the season.

The attacker's goals so far have won Palace 14 points this term, leaving him just one point behind Andrew Johnson’s contribution in 2004-05 as no single player has collected the Eagles more points in Premier League history.

Ayew joined Palace in January 2019 for a half-season loan stint from Swansea. Despite a frustrating spell which yielded only one league goal, the striker was signed in a permanent deal at the end of the season.
 

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