Bayer Leverkusen forward Ernest Poku has issued an implicit rebuke to the Ghana Football Association (GFA), revealing that multiple individuals claiming to represent the federation have been messaging him directly and that he has instructed them to stop, insisting any formal international approach must come through his agent.
Speaking to Dutch outlet Sportnieuws, the 22-year-old said he remains open to representing Ghana, the Netherlands or Germany at senior level but stressed he has yet to receive official contact from any of the three nations. “Netherlands, Ghana and Germany are all options, but I haven’t heard from all three yet. I can only wait,” he said.
Poku said roughly 15 different people had reached out to him claiming to work for the GFA. “In the end, you don’t know what to believe. I have indicated that they should not communicate with me. If so, I’ll hear it from my agent,” he said.
The candid remarks place the GFA under pressure to streamline how it pursues dual-nationality targets, particularly with the 2026 FIFA World Cup now less than three months away. Ghana are drawn in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama, a group Otto Addo’s side will be eager to approach with the strongest possible squad.
Born in Hamburg to Ghanaian parents and raised in the Netherlands, Poku developed through AZ Alkmaar’s academy before completing a €10 million move to Leverkusen in August 2025. He has represented the Dutch youth teams at U-16, U-19 and U-21 level, most recently impressing at the 2025 U-21 European Championship where he was recorded as the fastest player in the tournament at 35.3 kilometres per hour.
This season Poku has contributed five goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga, establishing himself as one of the most dangerous wide forwards in the German top flight. His profile has attracted transfer interest from Juventus, with reports emerging earlier this month that the Italian club had sent a scout to observe him in a Champions League fixture.
Despite his youth international history with the Netherlands, Poku has spoken warmly of his Ghanaian heritage, saying he loves Ghanaian food, music and can speak Twi. Whether cultural pride translates into a senior commitment to the Black Stars may ultimately depend on whether the GFA can secure the right conversation through the right channels before time runs out.
