Following seven loan spells since being signed by English Premier League club Chelsea FC for €26 million in August 2015, it appears Ghana national team left back Baba Rahman will finally leave The Blues on a permanent basis. Rahman is in discussions to join Greek Super League club PAOK on a free transfer, something Chelsea will not oppose due to new rules regulating the amount of players the club can send out on loan.
New FIFA rules prohibit clubs from sending out more than seven players on loan in a season, leaving Chelsea eager to let go of players like Rahman in favor of using their loan allocation on younger players to prioritize development. Rahman made 23 appearances during the 2015-16 season, the only campaign he was with the Chelsea squad before becoming a part of the club’s “loan army”. The 29-year-old previously spent time on loan with PAOK during the 2020-21 season when he made 17 appearances and scored 1 goal.
Rahman began his career with Dreams FC in Ghana before spending time on loan with Kumasi club Asante Kotoko. He was a finalist for the Discovery of the Year award in Ghanaian football with Kotoko leading to spells in German football with Greuther Fürth and FC Augsburg before joining Chelsea.
Rahman spent time on loan all around Europe with an initial return to Germany with Schalke before playing in France (Stade de Reims), Spain (Mallorca), Greece (PAOK) and most recently two seasons with English second tier side Reading. He is a regular contributor with the Ghana national team where he has made 50 appearances with 1 goal for the Black Stars. Rahman also represented Ghana at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup appearing in all matches as the Black Satellites finished in third place.
Source: Evening Standard
