Call him ambitious and or target-driven, but whichever way, Ghana Premier League striking prospect Emmanuel Paga of Liberty Professionals is sure to make the headlines this season as he has declared he will compete with Asamoah Gyan.

The young forward who joined Liberty from second-tier side Vision FC told Joy Sports that he wants to compete with the Legon Cities striker when it comes to scoring goals this season.

“I am glad that the top striker himself ‘Baby Jet’ Asamoah Gyan himself has returned to the Ghana Premier League. I want to compete with Baby Jet because I want to achieve a lot,” he told Joy Sports at the Carl Reindorf Park.

“I want to fight hard and be named amongst the best anytime conversations about strikers come up. I want to do this for my records and for my personal stuff as well,” Paga added.

The 21-year-old also praised the environment at the Dansoman-based club.

“I feel very excited to be here even though I was not sure at the beginning. My expectation was that I would start training with my old club Vision FC but my manager brought this deal and we worked with it,” he said.

The dreadlocked forward says the partial lockdown in Ghana gave him a lot to ponder over while he did some personal training at home.

“I was with my brother and he hardly understood why I was home after the lockdown. He wanted me to get something going and finally, I did with Liberty Professionals.”

Paga is the brightest spot for Liberty in the just-ended transfer window and could be a big deal if he starts scoring.

“My aim aside from competing in goal scoring is to play in Europe. I want to help the campaign in the coming season and do well after which I hope I can move to Europe. That is my ambition.”

Emmanuel Paga scored nine goals in 11 games for Vision FC in his last season for the second-tier side and looks forward to doing even more.

The young forward started his youth career in 2011 with FC 2015 where he played for two years, after which he moved to Nadm Soccer Club. He wrapped up his youth stints with FC Dallas Academy whichever he scored 12 times in 20 games.

Ghana Premier League opener 

Liberty face Bechem United in the first game of the season. The match is expected to be played at their Carl Reindorf Park in Dansoman, following a successful final inspection by the Club Licensing Board this week.

"I am not thinking about anything much ahead of our game against Bechem United. I believe God will help me to do something great and I am looking forward to that game. My teammates and I are looking forward to that game. We will work hard and have a good game and I am looking forward to scoring," Paga said.