Stella Nyamekye departs Gotham FC, raising more questions than answers

After Gabi Portilho was transferred to San Diego Wave FC, another move or two was expected for NJ/NY Gotham FC. Loan deals were not out of play, and Stella Nyamekye was one of those players who was thought to go elsewhere. She was initially loaned out to Fort Lauderdale United FC for a second time last month, but for some unknown reason, the loan was mutually terminated. Fans were not sure whether she would stay or go out on another loan, but in the end, neither was the case.

On Tuesday, Gotham FC announced that the club transferred Nyamekye to SK Brann in Norway, shocking fans with the move. The midfielder had only been with the Bats for a little over a year, and spent most of that time out on loan.

Stella Nyamekye unexpectedly leaves Gotham FC

In fact, she only made two NWSL appearances with the club, making it easy to question what happened and why this move was made. Nyamekye was signed due to her potential, and the fact that she is young made her someone that the Bats could wait on over the next few years. She was not expected to be a starter anytime soon, but probably could have earned more minutes if she stayed with Gotham this year.

So, what happened? What led to Nyamekye's departure, especially after one season with the NJ/NY team? Was it purely a sporting reason? Was the move to the NWSL premature? Did she want to be somewhere else? Was the midfielder unhappy in the United States? Did Gotham think that they made a mistake with her signing?

More than likely, that last question would lead to an answer of no. Yael Averbuch West, the general manager and head of soccer operations for the team, had an interesting statement to gothamfc.com.

Averbuch West said, "We’re proud of the progress Stella has made during her time with Gotham FC. This move gives her the opportunity to step into a new environment and continue building on that growth. We’re excited to see her take this next step and will be closely following her success at SK Brann.”

The phrasing of the statement is a little odd, for it sounds like Nyamekye was sent out on loan. Of course, that is not the case. This makes it easy to ponder whether the club has a buy-back clause in the transfer deal. Notably, that is just speculation, and just a way to analyze the statement. Averbuch West made it sound like Nyamekye could possibly return to New Jersey.

Only time will tell, and it might be possible that this move was just a failure. Gotham FC might be making a mistake if it was the team that sparked this transfer. It is sad, though, that Nyamekye is already leaving. Hopefully, she will be successful in Norway.