Gambian defenders are hugely in-demand in the European football market with most top clubs eyeing them. Gambia News digs into financial available data to fish out the most expensive of centre-back scorpions.
PA MODOU JAGNE: He upstaged Ebou Sillah as the player with the most appearances for the Gambia national team. He remain captain of the squad still and quite pivotal in this year’s quest to make a maiden appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Also called Nda, he was a striker before switching to a defender when he signed for FC Wil, a Swiss second division side. He transitioned into a left-back and is likened to Abdourahman Conateh, Mathew Mendy and Simon Badjie in terms of game passion. He made his first appearance for Gambia in 2007 against Guinea Conakry and has become a mainstay since, starring under the reins of coaches Jose Martinez, Paul Put, the late Bonu Johnson, Luciano Mancini, Raoul Savoy, Sang Ndong and now Tom Saintfiet. Pa Modou is priced at 26 million dalasis at this moment. The former Ports’ striker turned an expensive back-liner when he moved from FC Sion to Zurich for a fee of 70 million dalasis in 2017.
BUBACARR SANNEH: The centre-back is no small man in the game and is pegged at little over 70 million Gambian dalasis of recent – representing a huge drop in his value due to endless loan spells and poor return of football minutes in the pitch.
However, the 25-year-old and one-time Danish league champion made our list of Gambia’s most expensive back players August 2018 when he moved from Midtyjjland to Anderlecht on a whopping transfer fee of 450million dalasis. Excitement greeted his signing but he fell out of favour with the club’s various coaches and had to go elsewhere -a decline pinned to his failure to get over the heavy transfer fee paid over his head.
OMAR COLLEY: The Major League Soccer would have been his starting avenue in pro-life but Wallidan’s refusal to budge from the 50,000 dollars they were asking meant Kansas Sporting City opting out signing the former African U-17 champion.
He returned to cross the divide to Real de Banjul to leave for KuPs of Finland. A meteoric ascension became his pattern as Djurgarden IF and Genk of Sweden and Belgium respectively became his ex-employers before he moved to Sampdoria for a 450 million Gambian dalasis -joint most expensive Gambian defender with Sanneh.
However, Omar is ahead of the aforesaid players this moment with any club willing to him expected to pay at most over 281million dalasis.
