“The Rise of Joseph Paintsil: From Clumsy Supersub to Highly Sought-After Player in the Transfer Market”

He has been under contract with KRC Genk since 2018, in the current selection only Bryan Heynen has stayed with the club for a longer period of time, but it is only this season that Joseph Paintsil is finally starting to impress the Limburgers. Delayed by nearly five years, he now appears to be living up to the expectations placed upon his original arrival: replacing Leandro Trossard. According to Hein Vanhaezebrouck, Genk can easily collect 20 million euros for Paintsil this summer, while there is currently a lot of interest from foreign clubs. Paintsil also dreams of a top transfer, but there is still work to be done.

Clumsy supersub was almost sold to AZ

Joseph Paintsil is currently one of the most decisive players in the Belgian league, after Hugo Cuypers from AA Gent and his teammate Mike Trésor. A fast winger, he has scored 15 goals and made nine assists and Paintsil is clearly at the top of his game. Over the years, the Ghanaian barely got a job at Genk. Several trainers distrusted him and he was labeled as clumsy. In addition, he faced strong competition from players such as Leandro Trossard, Junya Ito and Théo Bongonda. There was no more than a role as a super sup for the Ghanaian.

As a result, Joseph Paintsil was already loaned to the Turkish Ankaragücü two seasons ago, but KRC Genk – and especially Dimitri de Condé – continued to believe in the spry attacker. There were several occasions in recent years to sell Paintsil, and in the winter of 2022 there was a very serious interest. AZ Alkmaar wanted to attract Paintsil, but de Condé then decided to stop the deal. After Genk refused the transfer, AZ then switched to Kamal Sowah from Club Brugge. The arrival of Wouter Vrancken last summer has ensured that Paintsil is finally starting to use its full potential.

Vrancken-Paintsil: mutual love

Wouter Vrancken gives Joseph Paintsil full confidence and he knows how to approach the player. Nobody ever got more out of Paintsil and that’s mainly because Vrancken knows how to hit his strings. The Ghanaian is a sensitive person, something that Vrancken already noticed in the preparation for the season. “When he reacted fiercely when a staff member suggested he hadn’t completed his running program. You don’t kill a boy like that for a group, you have to give him confidence”, said the Genk coach in Het Nieuwsblad. Vrancken knows the person behind the football player and that is why he takes Paintsil to its highest level ever. On the other hand, Paintsil also has a lot of appreciation for his coach, who reminds him strongly of his first season at Genk under Philippe Clement.

✌ | Joseph Paintsil was the man in form with two goals! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/d1V0Djh1GC

— Eleven Belgium (NL) (@ElevenBeNL) April 17, 2023

In Wouter Vrancken’s current system, Joseph Paintsil is a decisive player, comparable to how Nikola Storm was previously at KV Mechelen. Vrancken also had Paintsil change sides, and that was daring on the part of the Genk coach. Paintsil was convinced that he had to play on the left flank, like his great idol Eden Hazard. But there he became too predictable and slowed down the attack because he always had to cut back to his right foot. It was Vrancken who convinced Paintsil to play on the right flank, where he now forms an ideal tandem with Daniel Munoz. That way Paintsil’s crosses come out well and he is constantly launched by his speed, this season he reached a top speed of 37.0 kilometers per hour.

Vanhaezebrouck predicts 20 million euros

Joseph Paintsil’s remarkable transformation and impressive statistics have made him a highly sought-after player in the transfer market. Not only is there interest from the Bundesliga, but more and more clubs in the Premier League are also showing interest in him, such as Brentford, Fulham FC and Brighton & Hove Albion. Several Serie A clubs have also sent scouts to follow him closely during a top match against Union SG in March. Paintsil is currently a hot item in the transfer market and it seems almost inevitable that he will leave the club.

AOTW | Reminder: close your legs when Joseph Paintsil is around. 📝

His panna is our’@bwinBE Action of the Week’! 🥜 pic.twitter.com/yYbDof6ZMe

— Eleven Belgium (NL) (@ElevenBeNL) February 13, 2023

This season, the market value of Joseph Paintsil has already doubled from 4.5 million to 9 million euros, but it seems that there is much more potential for KRC Genk with a possible transfer of the Ghanaian. “They already succeeded in recruiting a replacement for Paintsil with Sor, should he leave next summer for 20 million euros”, Hein Vanhaezebrouck predicted in February. In addition, Dimitri de Condé already showed proactiveness at the start of the season by extending Paintsil’s contract in September until the summer of 2026, which also significantly boosts his market value.

But there is still work to be done

In order to achieve a prize of 20 million euros, Joseph Paintsil must no longer be provoked or provoked by opponents or supporters. In the last two games of the Champions’ Play-offs, the flank attacker twice got caught up in such situations against Antwerp FC and Union SG, so that he completely disappeared from the game each time. As a result, he presented no threat to goal and was very little involved in the game. It is important that Paintsil maintains its focus and is not distracted in order to maintain its value at the desired level.

During the match against Antwerp FC, Joseph Paintsil was whistled at de Bosuil for the entire match after an incident with Arbnor Muja. “Avila immediately got under the skin of Paintsil”, Het Laatste Nieuws noted. “That doesn’t mean Paintsil shouldn’t be smarter. It has already improved compared to before, but there is still work to be done.” René Vandereycken remarked that Paintsil was having a hard time and even went the way of Noa Lang for a while. “After Muja tackled him and didn’t get a yellow card, he let himself be wooed by the opponent and the crowd. As a result, he played himself out of the game,” said Vandereycken The newspapaer.

In the following game against Union SG, Joseph Paintsil allowed himself to be provoked again, which again negatively affected his performance. The master provocateur Christian Burgess pushed the attacker against the billboards and during the ensuing argument the English defender went to the ground in a particularly theatrical manner. Referee Jasper Vergoote, however, kept the cards in his pocket, which led to great frustration with “a ferocious Paintsil”, according to The newspapaer. “He completely disappears from the game, while Burgess scores a second goal. Union wins 3-0.”

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