Nana Kwame Boakye is a 19-year-old Ghanaian centere-back, who plays for Sheriff Tiraspol in the Moldovan Super Liga. Boakye plays for them as the right centre-back, mostly in a backline of four defenders. The six-time Ghanaian U20 player comes of a really good debut season in professional football in which he started every game, contributing to 14 league clean sheets and two goals.
Boakye is around 190 centimetres tall and his physicality is on a really good level. He has a muscular build, with a big chest and arms. His legs are a bit smaller, but they are muscular, too. He uses his whole body in duels, but most strength comes off his shoulders/arms, to get in front of the opponent to get him off the ball and try to retrieve possession. He is able to shield off the ball well with his back. His balance is also really good, he can stay on his feet after hard contact. The same praise could be given about his aerial presence. Boakye reads the ball trajectory really well and positions himself well for the aerial duel. His jumping reach is quite good, as well. He looks very good in aerial duels when he is behind the opponent. His timing could be improved though, as he can mistime his jumping or positioning and lose the duel. He can go higher into the midfield to go into a duel if he feels that he has a high chance to win it. Boakye’s speed is not very special, but he is quicker than most centre-backs. But, he should improve on his turning and reaction speed. He moves quite often and he has quick feet, but he does not look really agile when running with the ball. Boakye is quite well set mentally and tactically. He is regularly talkative to his teammates with his arms, but he can also get visibly frustrated by his own mistakes or of his teammates. He does not discuss things with the referee often. He scans his surroundings quite often offensively and defensively. He reads the game well and can switch his role to whatever the score is or what the coach wants. Boakye prefers using his right foot, and rarely uses his weaker left foot. If he uses it, it is mostly for controlling the ball but that is not amazing either.
His defensive abilities are there, but he does not play at a fantastic level which can downplay it a bit. Just like he reads the ball well in the air, he does it as well for lower passes. He can reposition himself to get directly in a 1v1 confrontation with an attacker or go higher to go out of his position for the interception. He looks very comfortable in 1v1s, timing his step into a physical duel or a tackle really well. He does not foul often, which is a positive trait for him. Boakye rarely makes sliding tackles, but if he does, most of them are successful. The Ghanaian is mostly the lowest centre-back, although his partner is often on relatively the same line height as him. Boakye can clear the danger pretty quickly, sometimes even too quickly. If he is getting pressed when he recovered the ball near his own goal, he tries to kick the ball away as soon as possible. But when he tries it with his weaker left foot, it can go not far. Sometimes, he makes it a bit too difficult for himself when he has the ball low or in general. But, Boakye will fight and try to defend the goal. He will try actively to block shots or crosses, going in to press an opponent to make it more difficult for them. His defensive abilities look promising, but the league he plays in is not of a very good level.
Boakye can have the ball quite often throughout the game, but it is mostly for short passes during the build-up. He is often progressive when passing, but he can also just pass it around in the defence. He can regularly give higher, longer passes which can go into space or just to an open teammate. They can be good, but also inconsistent from game to game. He remains calm in the build-up but can put himself in tough situations when getting pressed. He has sometimes an easier option to pass to under a press, but he decides to make a longer, tougher pass that does not always arrive or just clear the ball. Boakye can occasionally make small runs forward with the ball, but he will not really make progressive runs deeply. He mostly positions himself near the centre line when the team is in attack. Boakye can also be a danger in front of the goal, scoring two goals last season and is targeted often in set pieces. He can be a dangerous asset in them, even without being able to head in the direction of the goal or getting close to the ball. He has good abilities, but as a defender they are not always your main target. But, if he could improve his consistency on the long passes and improve his decision making, it would look really well for him.
Boakye’s physicality at his age is really good, but he needs to keep improving defensively and offensively. Yes, he has good traits at both, but he does not often play against really good opposition. His ceiling is high, and I hope that teams can see that. I think that a move from Sheriff to a team from countries like Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Turkey or Denmark that can fight for European spots or even play in them would be a good step up for him. He could develop well in those countries and meanwhile play at a decent level. Boakye is a fantastic talent, but he needs more playing time in better leagues against tougher opposition.
Target Scouting 