Former Asante Kotoko striker Derek Asamoah has extended his stay at Carlisle United for an extra two months.
The Ghanaian put pen to paper on Tuesday to extend his stay to January 4.
This is contrary to what his manager, Keith Curle, said last weekend when asked if he was forced to offer Asamoah an extension, because he is now a fans’ favourite, scoring twice from three substitute appearances.
“I can’t offer a contract to a player to be a bit-part player and Derek doesn’t want that either,” said Curle.
“He wants a little bit of stability and longevity but, to get it, he needs to show he can play a full part. The more time he has on the pitch, the more goals he scores and the better he plays, the more will come his way. It’s win, win for him.”
As a result, it came as a surprise that after just one other substitute appearance against Portsmouth in which Asamoah didn’t score, the League 2 side offer him an extension.
The 33-year-old can now be involved in Carlisle’s crucial run of autumn and winter fixtures. He could be handed his first United start in the FA Cup at Peterborough this weekend.
Curle said after the 33-year old signed the extension: “Derek isn’t the type of player who wants a contract based on bit-part appearances.
“He wants a little bit of stability and he now has an opportunity to really get going and hopefully build up his minutes on the pitch.”
Asamoah is much travelled and last played in South Korea for Daegu FC from Pohang Steelers. He signed a short-term deal with Carlisle in October. Asamoah has been in and out of the senior national team, the Black Stars and last played for Ghana during Goran Stevanovic’s tenure.
