Atsu's struggles baffle Arhinful

Former Ghana striker Augustine Arhinful claims Christian Atsu may be struggling to make an impact in the English Premier League because his style is simply not suited to the league.

Atsu is yet to make his premier league debut for AFC Bournemouth, where he is on loan from Chelsea following a difficult loan spell at Everton.

He has mostly been used in the League Cup by Bournemouth and has struggled to even earn a spot in their match day squads for premier league games, watching often from the stands.

Arhinful feels it may be an issue of style but says he also understands why the club has been reluctant to play him.

“The type of player that Atsu is, for me should be suited for the league probably in France, Spain or in Holland,” Arhinful told TV3 Sports.

“I advised him before he moved to England because at the time he was in the ascendancy with Vitesse Arnhem. I would have preferred that he stayed with Vitesse because they were very interested in him or probably move to France but he moved to the Premier League with Chelsea first season, didn’t do well.

“He was given to Everton on loan and we didn’t see too much of him. He came to play in the African Cup of Nations and he did so well. So you then ask yourself that what is happening that we do not see or we do not seem to know of what is contributing to his lack of playing time in the premiership. Probably they go to training and they look at his physical nature and do not want to play him”.

“To me, it is not an issue if Atsu is not playing because don’t forget that they qualified from the championship and those guys only make a few add-ons. They have kept the team that promoted them into the premiership and a coach would want continuity if he wants to achieve results.”

While Atsu’s struggles have shocked Arhinful, he has been impressed with Andre Ayew and Jeffery Schlupp and suggested Aston Villa’s Jordan Ayew needs time to bed into the English game properly.

“With Aston Villa, the team itself is not that good. As a striker, going into a club that is not so sure of what they are doing, you are obviously going to encounter problems. When Dede moved to Swansea, a lot of people criticised him for choosing them but I felt that it was a learning curve for him in the Premiership because you cannot compare the French league to the Premiership. So moving probably to Liverpool or Manchester United would have probably put a lot of pressure on him to perform. He moved to Swansea and he is performing well. I have always believed that he will do well because of the team he chose to represent.”