The 19-year-old has made 29 league appearances since breaking into the senior team and has quickly become one of the club’s standout performers.

His consistent form also earned him a call-up to the Black Stars, where he has so far featured six times for the Ghana national team.

Confirming the new deal, Nordsjaelland’s Football Director, Alexander Riget, lauded Yirenkyi’s growth and attitude, describing him as a model professional whose determination has fueled his rise.

“Through a fantastic mentality and hard work every single day, Caleb has undergone excellent development over the past year and established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Super League. Therefore, we have chosen to honour him with a new contract,” Riget said.

Yirenkyi has already made 12 appearances in the current Superliga season, continuing to impress with his energy, vision, and composure in midfield as he cements his place among Denmark’s top young talents.

With his previous deal set to expire soon, the club has confirmed that Essien will continue with the team for the upcoming season.

The 42-year-old initially joined Nordsjælland as a player-coach before officially becoming part of the coaching staff on September 9, 2020.

Since then, Essien has established himself as a vital member of the coaching team. He currently holds a UEFA A License and has completed specialised UEFA courses focusing on football management and organisation.

During his playing career, Essien represented Ghana at the 2006 and 2014 FIFA World Cups and earned 59 caps for the Black Stars.

At club level, his journey included spells at Bastia, Lyon, Chelsea, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Panathinaikos, Persib Bandung in Indonesia, and Sabail in Azerbaijan.

In 2024, Essien declined an opportunity to join Ghana’s national team as assistant coach under Otto Addo, opting instead to focus on his role at FC Nordsjælland.

READ ALSO

• Michael Essien explains decision to reject Black Stars assistant coach role
• Michael Essien named best Ghanaian player in Premier League history

Both Yirenkyi and Essien are currently with Danish club FC Nordsjælland, where the Chelsea and Real Madrid legend serves on the technical staff.

Following his senior debut for Ghana in the Unity Cup match against Nigeria in London on Wednesday, the 19-year-old opened up about his relationship with the iconic midfielder.

In an interview with 3Sports, Yirenkyi praised Essien’s coaching abilities, saying: “He [Michael Essien] can coach, impact everyone and anyone. He is very important to us. We learn a lot from him.”

Yirenkyi is the latest product of the fruitful partnership between Ghana’s Right to Dream Academy and FC Nordsjælland — a pathway that has produced stars like Mohammed Kudus, Kamaldeen Sulemana, and Ernest Nuamah, who now ply their trade in Europe’s top leagues.

Yirenkyi will be hoping to earn a starting spot in Ghana’s third-place clash against Trinidad and Tobago at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.

The group landed in Ghana on Saturday, December 7, 2024, and is based at the Right to Dream Academy in Akosombo.

Michael Essien and FC Nordsjaelland have touched down in Ghana as part of a cultural exchange programme. #JoySports pic.twitter.com/MFOecRUwMl

— #JoySports (@JoySportsGH) December 9, 2024

The team held their first training session at the academy earlier today, December 9, 2024.

During their stay, FC Nordsjaelland will engage in various activities designed to immerse them in Ghanaian culture.

They will also collaborate with the academy to mentor and motivate the next generation of aspiring footballers.

The delegation includes first-team players and staff, with Michael Essien, a Ghana football legend, playing a key role as an assistant coach for the Danish club.

But it wasn’t a desire to follow in the footsteps of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti or Guus Hiddink that motivated one of the finest midfielders of his generation to try his hand at coaching.

“I just woke up one day and thought, ‘Let me start doing something,'” Essien tells BBC Sport.

“I started coaching so I could learn how it is to be a coach. Now I talk to a few of [my former managers]. Just normal talk – nothing tactical.

“I had some great, great managers that I was lucky to work under. I learned a few things from Jose and from Ancelotti – his calmness and how he manages his players, the way he tried to put his arms around his players.

“Now I understand a bit more why Jose would get angry.”

Since 2020 Essien has been working as an assistant coach for Danish top-flight side FC Nordsjaelland (FCN).

That might seem a curious choice of club for a player as well known as Essien to begin his coaching career. But Nordsjaelland’s background drew the former Ghana international to the team based in Farum, a small town in the east of Denmark.

In a reversal of the usual dynamic, Nordsjaelland are a professional club owned and operated by a youth academy.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Right to Dream academy was founded in Ghana in 1999 by Tom Vernon, a former Manchester United scout.

With a holistic approach to developing its youngsters on and off the pitch, the academy has produced several top players while also providing a route to further education for its students.

West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, Southampton’s Kamaldeen Sulemana and Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard are among Right to Dream’s most notable graduates.

In 2019 Right to Dream purchased Nordsjaelland to provide a pathway to European football for its best hopefuls. And next year its new American venture, San Diego FC, will join MLS as an expansion club.

“I’ve known the founder, Tom Vernon, for a very long time, since I was 17 or 18,” Essien explains. “I always kept in contact with him and he followed my football career. When I stopped playing, he just messaged me and said, ‘What are you doing?’

“I said, ‘I think I’m done playing.’ And he said, ‘OK, maybe you should come and look around the place.’ He told me about the whole project. I came and it was a nice environment. So I said, ‘Yeah, I’d love work here.’

“I love how they develop their boys here, giving very young boys the opportunity to experience professional football.

“That was one of the reasons I chose to be here. It’s calmer; the environment is very nice and very healthy. Everyone is ready to help whenever you need.”

‘This generation can be quite difficult’

Essien is not the only face familiar to Premier League fans who has worked under the Right to Dream umbrella.

Djimi Traore, a Champions League winner with Liverpool in 2005, coached at the academy’s base in Ghana before taking charge of AS Monaco’s youth team this year. Developing coaches comes a close second in the hierarchy of priorities within the academy’s multi-club set-up.

“We are happy when coaches leave us,” says Flemming Pedersen, Right to Dream’s technical director, who previously served as Brentford’s B team manager.

“It’s the same with our players. Then we hope our best coaches will one day come back home again.

“I was away for a year and a half at Brentford. You always learn something new when you meet a new culture. That’s important for us.

“We will be stronger if some of our coaches leave for big clubs in other countries. Our philosophy is: when we help each other, we will get a lot of good things back.

“Success for us is the integration of players from our academies. If we don’t get that, we will never get results.

“Wwe are measuring the development of our style of play. That will give us better results. We are also measuring our coaches and how we educate our coaches.”

For now, though, Essien has no plans to flee the Nordsjaelland nest in search of managerial opportunities.

“I’m not thinking about being a head coach. Not yet,” he says.

“But when I get there, I will develop my style of play around the FCN model of what we’re doing here. I have a few more years to go. Let’s see. Maybe I will get there.

“When I was playing, I never thought I would jump into this journey. But coming to the end of my career, I was thinking one day, ‘I’ve done football my whole life and I think that’s what I do best. I should start doing something just to keep my routine going.’

“I also wanted to get the ideas and strategies of how to be a coach, to learn how to be a coach. That’s how it all came about.

“And also because I love the game. I’m always going to be in and around the game.

“I try and do my best to help the young boys coming up so they can do something with their careers.

“This generation, sometimes they can be quite difficult. Sometimes they think they know the world, but actually they don’t know anything.

“To have me around, it’s easy for them to come and ask me a few questions and I give them a few guidelines and some advice.”

As much as he protests, however, it seems Essien is preparing for a shot at management. Just as he once mastered the art of midfield play, he’s now loading up on ideas for how to crack coaching.

“I’ve just finished one football management course,” he says. “It’s given me some ideas on how football clubs are run, the organisation and everything.

“I’m just collecting some knowledge about the game because football goes beyond the pitch.”

Osman is set to join Brighton this summer from Danish club FC Nordsjaelland.

Discussing his decision, Osman highlighted Brighton’s playing style and their commitment to nurturing young talent as key factors influencing his choice.

“I have been watching Brighton for quite a long time, and I believe they have the same style of play as FC Nordsjaelland,” he said in an exclusive interview with TV3.

Osman scored 10 goals in 44 appearances in Denmark last season. With significant potential, his development remains his primary focus. They also give opportunities to younger players, which convinced me that they are the best club for my next move and for my development,” he added.

Osman is eagerly anticipating his debut at Brighton’s Amex Stadium and looks forward to performing in front of the club’s passionate supporters.

Vernon stated that the former Borussia Dortmund assistant coach turned down the opportunity to focus on his role with the Bundesliga team.

Addo, who played for the Black Stars at the 2006 World Cup, was seen as an ideal candidate due to his cultural understanding.

“I offered him the head coach job at FCN and he said no,” Vernon told Joy Sports. “I tracked all of those coaches of Ghanaian heritage and monitor their careers, as well as all the local coaches.

“So Otto was always like an interesting case. And then I was thinking about FCN, I said, who will understand the European mindset and the Ghanaian mindset?

“And, you know, Denmark, border to Germany, they’re different, but some similarities. So he was just an obvious candidate,” he added.

Otto Addo initially led the Black Stars on an interim basis for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria before taking the team to the tournament in Qatar.

He faced criticism for not accepting the Ghana job permanently. Addo had previously worked as an assistant coach at Nordsjaelland from 2016 to 2017.

Osman will link up with his new squad at the culmination of the ongoing season.

Following the confirmation of the signing of the 19-year-old, Brighton’s technical director David Weir said, “We’re looking forward to the opportunity of working with Ibrahim.

“He’s a young and exciting prospect, but for now it’s important that we give him the space to focus fully on Nordsjaelland, where he is enjoying a good season.

“Once the current season is over and he’s had the opportunity to rest during the summer, we will bring him into our environment where he will get the time and support he needs to settle here in England.”

The promising attacker has committed to a contract running until June 2029 with the Seagulls.

Before sealing the deal with Brighton, Osman was heavily linked with a transfer to West Ham United during the January transfer window. However, the anticipated move failed to materialize before the window’s closure.

Osman’s journey to Brighton began when he joined FC Nordsjaelland from Ghana’s esteemed Right to Dream academy in January 2023. He follows in the footsteps of Simon Adingra, an Ivory Coast international who traversed a similar path to Albion.

Throughout the current campaign, Osman has showcased his talent with 29 appearances for the Danish side, tallying four goals and contributing five assists.

Joining a lineage of talent departing from the Right to Dream academy, including Mohammed Kudus, Kamaldeen Sulemana, and Ernest Nuamah, Osman stands as the latest prospect to make his mark.

His transfer marks one of the most significant departures from the club, second only to Nuamah’s departure last summer.

The 19-year-old, who has been on the radar of several clubs, has opted to join Brighton, with the agreement set to see him make the move in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Brighton successfully negotiated an offer of approximately €19.5 million with the Danish top-flight outfit Nordsjaelland. Osman has undergone a medical examination in preparation for the official confirmation of the transfer.

Osman, who has already accumulated 27 appearances for Nordsjaelland since his debut last season, brings promising talent to Brighton, having scored two goals during his tenure.

Originally from the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, Osman transitioned to Nordsjaelland, making his senior debut for the Danish club in February 2023.

In choosing Brighton, Osman follows in the footsteps of Ivorian forward, Simon Adingra, who also began his career at the Right to Dream Academy before moving to Nordsjaelland.

His departure marks the latest exit of a talented graduate from the Right to Dream academy, following the footsteps of Mohammed Kudus, Kamaldeen Sulemana, and Ernest Nuamah in recent years.

Notably, Osman’s transfer places him as the second most expensive departure from the club, trailing only behind Nuamah, who departed last summer.

Throughout the current season, Osman has showcased his prowess with four goals and five assists in 29 appearances for Nordsjaelland across all competitions.

The 19-year-old is joining the side from Danish side, FC Nordsjaelland in a deal worth €25 million with an additional €5 million in add-ons.

Nuamah has completed his mandatory medical on Tuesday morning and will sign a five-year deal with the former Ligue 1 champions.

This milestone echoes the path paved by Ghanaian football legend Michael Essien, who also began his European journey with Lyon before his celebrated move to Chelsea.

Nuamah’s arrival at the French side comes on the back of a scintillating goal-scoring spree in the current season, where he has already netted five goals.

His remarkable performance builds upon his impressive tally of 12 goals and four assists from the preceding season, a testament to his burgeoning talent and potential.

The journey to Lyon began for Nuamah in 2022 when he made the transition from the Right to Dream Academy to Nordsjaelland on a four-year deal.

His performance earned him a place in the senior national team of Ghana, the Black Stars in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Madagascar in June.

Additionally, he showcased his prowess while representing the U-23 side in the recent Africa Cup of Nations tournament held in Morocco.

READ ALSO

• U-23 AFCON: Ernest Nuamah teams up with Black Meteors teammates in Rabat

• Ghana winger Ernest Nuamah wins top award in Denmark

In partnership with Nike, FC Nordsjaelland has ingeniously incorporated the Dwennimmen symbol from the Akan tradition onto their kit, signifying the value of humility. This artistic integration demonstrates the club’s commitment to embracing diversity and bridging cultural influences.

However, the incorporation of cultural elements transcends the Dwennimmen symbol. FC Nordsjaelland’s imaginative design further pays homage to Danish and Egyptian heritage, ingeniously weaving meaningful symbols from these cultures into the kit’s aesthetics.

The club has conveyed their vision through a comprehensive statement, affirming the significance of the symbols featured on the jersey’s front and back. These symbols were thoughtfully selected by young talents within the academies, exemplifying the values and collaborative spirit that extend beyond national boundaries.

The distinct symbols carry powerful meanings:
**Ghana:** The Dwennimmen symbol, the first to grace the kit, epitomizes humility. Its selection underscores the importance of maintaining humility and down-to-earth values. The Ghanaian academy’s choice showcases the acknowledgement of these virtues.

**Denmark:** The Gebo symbol, the second emblem, signifies partnership. The Danish academy chose this symbol to embody the collaborative essence that binds the academies together, underscoring the unity and collective aspirations.

**Egypt:** The final symbol, Ankh, is chosen by the Egyptian academy and represents the concept of family. It serves as a poignant reminder that within the club’s community, there is a sense of unity and shared kinship, transcending geographic origins.

FC Nordsjaelland’s innovative approach not only celebrates cultural diversity but also underscores the club’s commitment to nurturing global connections and fostering a sense of unity among its players and supporters.

12 coaches in the Super Liga unanimously voted for the young winger following his impressive performance with FC Nordsjaelland.

The 19-year-old has scored 15 goals for Nordsjaelland in all competitions this season, in addition to providing four assists.

Nuamah recently earned his debut Black Stars call-up following his incredible performance with the Black Meteors.

The exciting winger has progressed from being the sixth-best player in the league during Autumn to securing the top spot on the list with only a few games remaining in this remarkable campaign.

Andreas Schjelderup, who claimed the best player title in Autumn, delivered the award to the talented winger through a video message due to his current commitments with his new club, Bodo, in Norway.

Speaking from his Norwegian base, Schjelderup said, “Hi guys, it’s been a pleasure following all of you over the past month. I miss you all so much, and I just wanted to drop by and congratulate Ernest ‘Nana Messi’ Nuamah on winning the Player of the Spring award, voted for by all the managers. You’ve taken on some significant responsibilities with penalties, and you’ve executed them very well. I thoroughly enjoy watching you play.”

Expressing his gratitude, Nuamah acknowledged his teammates and coaches for their invaluable support in helping him excel at the club.

“First of all, I want to thank everybody—my teammates and coaches—for this incredible season. We’ve come together as a team, and it wasn’t just me. I’m proud of the team and what we’ve accomplished this season,” he said.

Nuamah is expected to make the Black Meteors squad for the CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled to be hosted in Morocco next year.

The former Chelsea man has been working on his coaching license since retiring from football and recently acquired his UEFA A and UEFA Elite Youth coaching licenses.

Essien is also working towards his UEFA Pro license, a certificate that will cushion him to take up first-team coaching roles.

According to him, he hates office work and prefers to be on the field where he can be around players to help them become better.

Speaking to DW, the former Chelsea man said he is doing his coaching badges because helping players makes him happy.

“I’m doing my badges because I love being around the players on the pitch, and I stay very close to them, talking to them, giving them advice and stuff like that. It makes me happy, rather than sitting in the office or on the phone talking to people,” Michael Essien disclosed.

READ ALSO

• Michael Essien distances himself from Black Stars coaching job

• Michael Essien completes Uefa License A course

Meanwhile, the celebrated Ghanaian footballer, has indicated that getting into coaching is not as easy as people think.

He has stressed that he is focused on becoming a top coach but will not rush the process.

“People think that because you’ve been a professional player at the highest levels, it is easy to get into coaching, but it’s totally different. That’s why I have managed to take my time and take it day by day,” the 40-year-old added.

Florian Maurice hoped to see Sulemana join Stade Rennais’ attack next season. However, unless a last-minute surprise, the 19-year-old from Nordsjælland should be an Ajax player next season.

READ ALSO

• Messi dedicates Copa title to family, country and Maradona

• Sancho completes Manchester United medicals

Favourite in the race for the signature of the fast winger, the Dutch club should complete this move pretty quickly: Sulemana is expected in the coming days by the Dutch leaders for the medical examination prior to the signing of a long-term contract (at least four years).

Sulemana is coming off a successful season in Denmark, where he scored 10 times and delivered eight assists in 30 matches in all competitions. If the amount of the transfer fee has not filtered – it should exceed € 15m.

Besides Rennes, Nice tried to convince the Ghanaian international.

The prestigious award is organised by Italian newspaper, Tuttosport. It is meant to reward the best young player (under the age of 21) in Europe.

Kudus, who joined Ajax this summer, was initially named among the 100 best young footballers in Europe before making the cut for the top 60.

However, the 20-year-old has been left out of the 40 players shortlisted ending his chances of a possibility of winning one of Europe’s prestigious accolades.

Among the 40 shortlisted players are Bayern Munich and highly-rated Canadian left-back of Ghanaian descent Alphonso Davies as well as Ghanaian-born Myron Boadu.

READ ALSO

• Local players to pocket GH¢1,500 monthly under next NDC govt

• I did not play for Olympique Marseille because of nepotism – Jordan Ayew

Spanish youngster Ansu Fati, Mason Greenwood, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland are among some top players named in the list.

Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart was the first winner 17 years ago and the former Tottenham Hotspur man was followed by Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Aguero.

In recent times, Paul Pogba, Raheem Sterling, Kylian Mbappe and Matthijs de Ligt have all won the award.

Kudus, however, awaits his competitive debut for Dutch Club Ajax after watching the team’s League opener against Sparta Rotterdam.