In a chat with Brila Media, Blankson highlighted the quality of the players, most of whom are plying their trade in Europe, and stressed the need for a more structured approach to integrating home-based talent into the national team.

Blankson emphasized the high standards met by the invited players, attributing their selection to their consistent performances in competitive European leagues.

However, he pointed out the persistent issue of balancing the squad with home-based players due to a lack of a dedicated system for nurturing and monitoring domestic talent.

“Whether you like it or not, the players invited to the Olympic camp, they deserve it,” Blankson stated.

“They are all playing in Europe, and we watch them week in, week out. They are up to that standard. Until we have a structure in our senior team here, there will always be problems.”

He further elaborated on the need for a balanced approach that includes a robust system for home-based players. Blankson suggested that the absence of a home-based coach dedicated to monitoring and developing local talent is a significant gap in the current setup. This deficiency, he argued, hampers the seamless integration of home-grown players into the national squad.

“There is supposed to be a balanced home-based team that will have a home-based coach who will be monitoring that team,” Blankson explained.

“So in case they don’t have a player that is good enough in the team, you can come back to the home-based team and pick that player from there. So not having a home-based team, there will continue to be a problem in that area.”