Esso could be set for sensational Hearts of Oak return 

Ghanaian striker Joseph Esso could be making a shocking comeback to Premier League (GPL) side Hearts of Oak, only days after parting ways with the club.

The forward and the Phobians went separate ways on Friday, much to the surprise and dismay of fans of the Accra-based outfit, after failing to successfully negotiate a contract renewal.

He was one of five players announced by the club for an exit.

"Many of us were taken aback at the news of the release of Joseph Esso, so we spoke to management to find out and later met Joseph Esso," Hearts National Chapters Committee vice-chairman Salu Joe told Oyerepa FM.

"One thing we realised was that both parties were not ready to come to a compromise, they had to take entrenched positions."

[Management] told the player to come down on his demands of GHC 50,000 [€7,360] for a year, the amount is not that of an issue but the duration he wants to sign for.

"We are waiting to hear from the player and then meet management also, so we find a way out of this."

Esso, who played 14 games and netted on three occasions in the Premier League last season, said after Hearts announced their separation: "I've seen it [exit announcement post] on their [Hearts] social media and no one owns their media accounts. I have nothing to talk," Esso told OTEC FM.

He signed for Hearts from Ebusua Dwarfs in 2018.

"Joseph Esso opted for only a one-year contract extension contrary to what Hearts were requesting for. His demands caused our decision to part ways with him," the Phobians public relations officer (PRO) Kwame Opare Addo told Sikka FM.

Esso was among Ghana's best players at the 2019 Wafu Cup of Nations in Senegal where he netted twice to help the side finish as runners-up.

After his good showing at the cup tournament, the attacker was heavily linked to Sudanese side Al-Hilal last December.

Defenders Benjamin Agyare and Christopher Bonney as well as attackers Bernard Arthur and Abubakar Troare, are the other four players who joined Esso through the exit door on Friday.