Felix Afena Ohene Gyan: New AS Roma recruit lays out ambitions after fine start

New AS Roma acquisition Felix Afena Ohene Gyan is determined to make a quick jump to the first team of the Italian Serie A side.

The young Ghanaian striker, 18, joined The Yellow and Reds for an undisclosed fee last month after impressing on trial.

He was signed from Ghanaian outfit EurAfrica Academy.

“It is amazing. It is a dream come true for me,” Ohene Gyan told BBC Sport Africa on his move.

“AS Roma made a lasting impression on me that night [against Barcelona in the Champions League in April 2018], and so being a part of this amazing club now is definitely a dream come true.

“It is down to hard work. It is never easy for a boy from where I come from to come here and also make it.

“Now that I am here, the target is to be in the first team and go on to become an important player for the club.

”I will work hard for it. I know it will come with a lot of challenges but I will stay focused and disciplined. I will stop at nothing to see that come to pass.”

Having started his Italian adventure with Roma’s youth side, the teenager has wasted no time in announcing his arrival by scoring in his first three matches, the first goal coming alongside an assist in a 5-0 triumph over Genoa, just a day after his signing announcement.

“I was involved in school sports from a young age. I captained my basic school, senior high school and the regional team, which was made up of students selected from the various schools in the region,” the striker said of his journey.

“Initially my mother wanted to send me to Asante Kotoko, one of the biggest clubs in Ghana, but that did not happen because the club’s academy had not taken shape then.

“Instead they took me to the EurAfrica Academy and I am very thankful to them for that decision. I will never forget what they have done for me.”

Gyan will be hoping to earn a promotion to Roma’s first team before the end of the current season. The club presently occupies the seventh position in the Italian Serie A table, and are still in contention in the Europa League.