Harrison Afful joins Columbus Crew

Ghana defender Harrison Afful has caused massive shock by signing for American top-flight side Columbus Crew after ending his stay with Tunisian giants Esperance, GHANAsoccernet.com can exclusively reveal.

The 29-year-old sealed the move to the MLS side on Thursday morning after refusing to extend his six-year stay with Esperance where he won the African Champions League.

The details of the deal were not revealed in accordance with the MLS non disclosure policy.

Afful, one of the key players in Ghana’s national team, was believed to be on the verge of moving to Europe until the shock revelation of him joining Columbus Crew.

The right-back, who can also play in all the other positions apart from goalkeeping, ended his stay with Esperance last month after refusing to extend his expiring contract.

“Harrison is an experienced, versatile defender whose playing style will fit well into our system,” said Columbus Crew Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said.

“He has established himself in the highly competitive Ghanaian National Team and has participated in both the Africa Cup of Nations and in the World Cup.

“After an extensive search, we’re happy to welcome Harrison to Columbus and we feel that he is going to be a great addition to our defensive corps.”

Afful will officially be added to the Black & Gold roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 Visa.

Over his six seasons with Esperance, Afful made a total of 173 appearances across all competitions, scoring 16 goals and adding 25 assists.

In the five years spanning the 2009-10 and the 2013-14 seasons, he helped the club win the Ligue 1 title four times, finishing runner-up in 2012-13.