Beitar Jerusalem adds Eugene Ansah to boost speed and depth up front

Beitar Jerusalem has completed the signing of Eugene Ansah, a versatile winger-forward who has spent most of the past nine years in Israeli football, with a 1.5-year spell in the United States at FC Dallas. Ansah began in Israel in 2017 with Beitar Tel Aviv/Ramla in the National League, then moved to Hapoel Ra'anana, played another season at Ironi Kiryat Shmona, and made a major step up in 2021 by signing a two-year contract with Hapoel Be'er Sheva.

After that, he went to Major League Soccer and later returned to Israel to join M.S. Ashdod. Beitar sporting director Almog Cohen tried to bring him in last summer and again in the January window, but club owner Jackie Ben Zaken would not agree. The transfer only became possible after Ashdod were relegated to the National League, because Ansah had a release clause tied to relegation.

Beitar gains an added benefit from the deal, the possibility of registering him in the future as an Israeli player. Ansah had already started the process of obtaining status in Israel while at Ashdod, and he will continue it at Beitar. The expectation is that he will receive temporary residency on the way to citizenship, with the only question being timing.

At Beitar, officials believe he may still be listed as a foreign player until January, but they see that as a calculated risk. For them, the signing is especially valuable because Ansah brings exactly the qualities they have lacked in recent seasons, speed, physical strength, and runs in behind without the ball, adding depth and variety to the attack.