PROFILED: Franck Etouga Mbella is second Cameroonian signing by Kotoko

Cameroon U-20 striker, Franck Thierry Etouga Mbella has joined Asante Kotoko. 

In a previous report, Footy-Ghana.com published that the Porcupine Warriors have made two striker signings from the Central African nation with 24-year-old Georges Mfegue from Avion FC being the first player.

Now the second has emerged. A younger striker in Etouga Mbella, born September 15, 2001, from top-tier side AS Fortuna de Mfou.

The 20-year-old arrives on the back of a good season which only ended less than a month ago.

The native of Yaoundé was one of the revelations of the 2020/21 season during which he combined 12 goals and three assists in 22 league and cup matches.

Six of Etouga Mbella’s goals came in the regular Cameroon Elite One Championship as Fortuna topped Group A and qualified for the playoffs.

He went on to score three more and provided an assist in the playoffs – Fortuna’s only goal in the opening 2-1 defeat to Apejes de Mfou followed by a brace and an assist in his last official match on September 29 when they thumped Fovu du Baham 5-0 to confirm their third-place finish in the 2020/21 Elite One Championship.

The centre-forward was a member of the Cameroon squad that qualified for the 2021 U-20 Afcon hosted by Mauritania. He registered a goal and an assist in the UNIFFAC zonal qualifying competition but missed out on the final squad for the tournament in February this year.

Franck Thierry Etouga Mbella has had his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) already sorted and forwarded to the Ghana Football Association and will likely be officially announced a Porcupine by the close of the week when he joins up with the Kotoko squad at their ongoing pre-season training camp in Dubai.

STATS – A steady rise:

– 2014/15: Nkufo academy, 4th Division – 16 games, 45 goals, 13 assists
– 2015/16: Nkufo academy, 3rd Division – 14 games, 16 goals
– 2020/21: Fortuna de Mfou, Elite One – 17 games, 12 goals, 3 assists