The big news from the camp of the Phobians this week has been the departure of Benjamin Afutu following the expiration of his contract.

The club’s effort to tie him down to a new deal yielded no fruits as the player and his entourage decided it was time for a new challenge.

FootballMadeInGhana has gathered that there is a bit of background to the story.

Afutu has felt under appreciated by the club since joining from Karela United three years ago.

Despite his consistency and progress on the pitch, the hard-tackling midfielder had been on a meager GHC 600 salary per month during his stay with the Accra-based giants.

Yeah, you read right, six hundred Ghana Cedis to one of the most reliable players in the local game today; make of this information whatever you will.

In Hearts of Oak’s defense, they did make an attempt to improve his conditions this summer after his remarkable 2020/21 campaign.

After all, he played a key role in the club’s Ghana Premier League and FA Cup success.

Afutu featured in 32 games for the Phobians in all competitions, scoring 7 goals and providing 4 assists.

In the contract negotiations with the player, he wanted $2000 per month salary but the club was only ready to offer $1000- a substantial raise from what he previously earned right?

Except the likes of Abednego Tetteh who had been on the fringes for pretty much the entire last season was earning $1000 monthly.

It is worthy of note that Afutu‘s entourage obviously had this information first hand during their meetings with club and were determined to get the best deal for him.

In the end, both parties could not reach an agreement as the club and player decided to part ways after a successful three-year stint.

It remains to be seen what Afutu’s next move will be, but one thing is for certain; he won’t be short of suitors scrambling for his signature.