Comprehensive guide on all the EPL players who will leave for the AFCON
Qualification for the African Cup of Nations drew to a close on Monday. The AFCON has a major impact on football clubs all over the world with Premier League clubs possibly being the ones most adversely affected. A number of players from various clubs depart in January for a period of 5 weeks leaving sides severely depleted.
Here is a guide for all Premier League fans as to what to expect later on in the year:
Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny
Arsenal are expected to lose the services of Mohamed Elneny who is set to receive a call up from Egypt. The defensive midfielder has made 44 appearances for his country and played every minute of their qualifying campaign this season.
Elneny is not an Arsenal regular though and with Xhaka and Coquelin in the mix, they can easily cope with his loss.
Iwobi will not be travelling to the AFCON due to Nigeria’s inability to qualify for the tournament.
Bournemouth: Max Gradel, Benik Afobe
Max Gradel is not a first team player for Bournemouth but his absence would weaken their midfield depth significantly. Gradel has made 45 appearances for his country of birth, Ivory Coast, scoring 9 goals in the process.
Another potential loss could be Benik Afobe. The 23-year-old has represented England at U-17, U-19 and U-21 levels but also qualifies for Congo due to his parents who are Congolese. Afobe is Bournemouth’s first choice striker and if he is indeed chosen, it would represent a massive loss for the club.
Burnley
Burnley are spared due to the fact that all of their players are British.
Chelsea
Like Burnley, Chelsea too will have their squad intact. John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses will not be travelling to Gabon due to Nigeria’s absence in the tournament.
Crystal Palace: Bakary Sako, Pape Souare
Alan Pardew’s men will lose at least 2 players with Bakary Sako set to link up with Mali and Pape Souare with Senegal. Sako has made 14 appearances for Mali scoring 6 goals in the process and is a permanent fixture in their squad. Souare, on the other hand, will represent Senegal. The left back has already made over 20 appearances for his country and was a part of their previous AFCON squad.
Everton: Idrissa Gueye, Arouna Kone, Yannick Bolasie, Oumar Niasse
Everton are probably the biggest sufferers this time around with 4 losses. New signings Yannick Bolasie and Idrissa Gueye are integral parts of the Senegal and Congo national teams respectively and will definitely be heading out to Gabon in January. Meanwhile, Arouna Kone could also make the Ivorian squad although he made no appearance at all in qualification. Same goes for Oumar Niasse who is a part of the Senegal squad having had no significant game time in qualification.
Hull City: Ahmed Elmohamady
Elmohamedy did not play a single minute of Egypt’s qualifying campaign this time around but is still set to feature in their squad. The 28-year-old right-back has made 71 appearances for Egypt and has been a part of successful squads in the past .
Egypt have won the competition 7 times in the past but have struggled post-2010.
Leicester: Islam Slimani, Riyad Mahrez, Daniel Amartey, Jeff Schlupp
Leicester, like Everton, will bid adieu to 4-star players. Club record signing Islam Slimani will head out to Algeria along with arguably their best player of last season, Riyadh Mahrez. The duo has 68 appearances in between them for their country and will be expected to play a major role this time as well.
Apart from the obvious 2, wantaway defender Jeff Schlupp as well as Daniel Amartey could be on their way to Ghana. They have just 21 appearances for their country between them but are still regular squad members. Nigeria’s absence though at least frees up Ahmed Musa and he will be expected to play a major role in January.
Liverpool: Sadio Mane, Joel Matip
Liverpool too might have to look for reinforcements in January. Sadio Mane has had a fantastic start to his Liverpool career but he will fly out to represent Senegal. Mane has made 36 appearances for the Senegalese national team and will be hoping to lead them to success this time around. Meanwhile, Joel Matip too is expected to make the Cameroon squad even though he has not played for them in over a year.
Manchester City: Yaya Toure
African Player of the Year on 4 separate occasions, Yaya has been a stalwart in the Ivory Coast and Manchester City sides but has not featured for the Blues of late. In what is widely expected to be his final season for club and country, Yaya will be looking to lead his country to success like he did back in 2015.
Emerging talent Kelechi Iheanacho though will stay at the Etihad due to Nigeria’s absence