Daniel Amartey Strives to Revitalize His Career in Turkey: Salary and Prospects of the Ghanaian Defender

Daniel Amartey, having lost his starting position at Leicester City F.C., did not extend his contract with the English club and moved to the Turkish Superlig. However, the current season is shaping up to be less than ideal for both the defender and his current club.

What is Daniel Amartey’s Salary at Besiktas J.K.?

The Ghanaian national team defender joined the Turkish team in the summer of 2023 with an agreement running until June 30, 2026. Over three years in Turkey, the Ghanaian footballer will receive €9,000,000 without bonuses. During the current season, Amartey will earn €3,000,000, which amounts to €57,692 per week.

Team Salary Overview: Amartey Among the Top Five Highest-Paid African Players in Turkey

In the 2023/2024 season, Besiktas J.K.’s total expenditure on salaries amounts to €59,130,000 annually, or €1,137,111 per week. The highest-paid player in the team is midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who receives €4,170,000 per year, or €80,192 per week. Amartey shares this position with three other players from the Turkish club: Ante Rebic, Rachid Ghezzal, and Vincent Aboubakar.

Given this, Daniel Amartey ranks fourth in terms of salary. Three other players from the Turkish team receive the same amount: Albanian Ernest Muci, Englishman Joe Worrall, and Kosovar Milot Rashica. Additionally, the Ghanaian defender closes the trio of the highest-paid foreign and African players of Besiktas J.K. The next highest-paid player, Portuguese midfielder Gedson Fernandes, earns €170,000 less. Omar Colley, who ranks fourth among African footballers, earns nearly €700,000 less.

Furthermore, Daniel Amartey ranks among the top five highest-paid African players in the Turkish Super Lig. The Ivorian winger for Trabzonspor, Nicolas Pepe, earns €80,000 less. Additionally, the midfielder leads the list of highest-paid Ghanaian players in the Turkish league.

Career Salary Comparison 

For the first time, the salary of the Ghanaian defender sufficiently increased after a successful season in Sweden; his move to the Danish Superliga made his earnings grow by approximately 29.5 times. While at F.C. Copenhagen, the Ghanaian first had the most productive season of his career and then, midway through the 2015/2016 season, signed a contract with Leicester City F.C., increasing his salary by over four times. Nevertheless, Amartey’s highest earnings in his career come from Besiktas J.K.; his agreement with the Turkish club led to a nearly 2.5-fold increase in salary.

Market Value

Over 2.5 seasons in Europe, spent first in Sweden and then in Denmark, the Ghanaian defender won three trophies, attracted attention from an English club, and his transfer value increased by 20 times. However, during the following two Premier League seasons, the player’s transfer fee remained unchanged. In the 2018/2019 season, Daniel Amartey’s value briefly increased by two million euros, but it halved the following season due to a serious ankle injury that kept him off the field for over a year. As he recovered and returned to Leicester City F.C.’s starting lineup, the Ghanaian’s transfer fee gradually increased again. Initially, it grew by 1.5 million euros, and in the 2021/2022 season, during which Amartey played 40 matches in all competitions and scored a goal in the Europa League, it tripled, reaching its peak. 

However, during the second half of the last season at Leicester, the defender again spent time on the bench, leading to a decline in his market value. The move to Turkey did not alleviate the player’s injury woes nor did it affect the decrease in the transfer fee; over one and a half years, it dropped by almost half.

Currently, Transfermarkt estimates Amartey’s worth at €8.5 million. Despite the decrease in value, the Ghanaian ranks fourth among the most expensive players of the Turkish club. Additionally, the defender is ninth in the list of the most expensive Ghanaians.

National Team Achievements

Daniel Amartey made his debut for the Ghanaian national team in 2015. Over eight years in the national team, the defender has played in five major tournaments. He participated four times in the Africa Cup of Nations, missing only the 2019 edition due to ankle surgery. In 2015, he won silver medals with the national team and was on the brink of bronze in 2017. In 2022, he played all matches in the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar but did not advance to the playoffs. In total, the Ghanaian has played 54 matches for the national team without registering any goals.

Football and Financial Prospects

In the 2023/2024 season, Daniel Amartey’s performance has been inconsistent: appearances in the Turkish team’s starting lineup alternate with missed games due to constant injuries or national team call-ups. Nevertheless, the Ghanaian managed to score a goal in the Europa Conference League qualifiers. Only if the defender fully recovers from injuries and performs confidently for the remainder of the season can he expect a contract renewal on more favorable terms.