Alex Nyarko, who turns 51 today, struggled at Everton after being signed in a big-money move in 2000
Everton were told they had signed the ‘new Patrick Vieira’ in 2000. Needless to say, Alex Nyarko’s time at Goodison Park did not mirror that of Arsenal’s midfield colossus and included one of the most infamous moments in the club’s Premier League history.
The excitement was palpable when the Ghanaian arrived on Merseyside though. Everton were not big spenders and a fee of £4.5 million represented a major outlay for a player who was perceived to have a lot of potential. A reported weekly wage of £30,000 also showcased the belief the club had in the player.
Arsenal and Liverpool were also linked, while Blues midfielder Olivier Dacourt was said to have recommended him to boss Walter Smith.
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With that kind of expert backing, what could go wrong?
In his first season there were some glimpses of talent in what was a struggling Everton side – Nyarko’s first and only goal for the club was a screamer at Tottenham Hotspur – although concerns started to emerge midway through the campaign. The man himself also spoke openly about the challenges of playing in the Premier League.
“The games are too physical, particularly when you are a midfielder,” he said. “There is no time for creativity and the ball moves so fast from one goal to another. The coaches want you to send the ball quickly up to the strikers and that probably explains why there are so many goals – but that is English football.”
By the end of the season, Everton were back in a familiar position near the bottom of the Premier League and understandably spirits were low when they took on a high-class Arsenal in April. The 4-1 loss was forgettable from a blue perspective; but the incident that happened on the day involving Nyarko is memorable for all of the wrong reasons.
After Sylvain Wiltord scored Arsenal’s third goal of the game, a supporter encroached onto the playing surface at Highbury and confronted Nyarko, offering to replace his shirt with the midfielder’s. The implication seemingly being that he could do a better job.
Tony Adams intervened to keep the fan away from Nyarko before the police accosted him. Nyarko spoke to the Everton coaching team on the sidelines following the altercation and was eventually replaced five minutes later. Remarkably, he announced his retirement from football soon after, at the age of 27.
“I’m not going to start playing for the club again,” he said of Everton. “I can’t live my life like that. I’m quitting football. That’s the end of it.”
Everton boss Smith was far from pleased with the Ghanaian’s conduct and took aim at him in the aftermath of the heavy loss.
“He showed a lack of strength,” said the Scot. “Lots of questions come up: commitment, mentality. He gave up, which is not a great example to set.”
Asked about his player’s decision to retire, Smith was seemingly not too fussed: “I’ll need time to think about that – about five seconds!”
Nyarko was sent on loan to Monaco for the following season and after making 26 appearances in Ligue 1 for the principality club, he joined Paris Saint-Germain on loan in 2002-03, playing a further 18 times in the French top flight and also representing them in the UEFA Cup.
But in the summer of 2003 there were no takers for Nyarko and with David Moyes at the helm, he was eventually reintegrated into the team with Everton struggling. As such, he would go on to make 11 more Premier League appearances after all for the Toffees before he was released in 2004 when his work permit expired.
It marked the end of Nyarko’s career at the top level, as small stints with IK Start and Yverdon Sport followed before his retirement.
The midfielder had previously said he didn’t anticipate a long playing career and would look to write a book chronicling his life. As of yet, that piece of work has not been published – a lack of content around his time at Everton is surely not the reason.