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Premier League clubs and others around Europe are resigned to losing some players for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament is set to be held between January 9th and February 6th 2022, in Cameroon.
The tournament will come at a critical point in the 2021-22 season, with the players set to miss a significant number of matches for their clubs in the Premier League. Players will have to join up with their national sides after their Boxing Day fixtures to resume camp just a week before the tournament.
Premier League stars could miss as many as five games due to the AFCON
Depending on where their teams finish, some players may end up missing up to five Premier League matches, as well as matches in the FA Cup. The clubs may have to find solutions to enable them to remain competitive over this period or risk falling apart.
On that note, here is a list of five Premier League clubs that will likely be the most affected by their players leaving for the AFCON:
#5 Chelsea
Premier League leaders Chelsea will surely be without a key member of their side, Edouard Mendy, with the start of the tournament. The 29-year-old goalkeeper is the first-choice option between the sticks for Africa's highest-ranked team, the Teranga Lions of Senegal.
The shot-stopper has the best save percentage across Europe this season and earned the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year award for his Champions League heroics in the 2020-21 season.
The club's undisputed first choice, Mendy, has played in 59 of 82 matches since joining Chelsea. He will miss the Premier League matches against Brighton & Hove Albion twice, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur. In Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea have an able deputy that can cover for them in Mendy's absence.
The Blues have been in this position in the past, as a certain Didier Drogba left for the 2010 edition. The Ivorian returned to win the golden boot in the Premier League and lead them to the league title.
Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech is unlikely to make the tournament, having fallen out with national team manager Vahid Halihodzic in the months leading up to the tournament.
#4 Watford
Watford manager Claudio Ranieri will be one of those who will be displeased with the timing of the AFCON. The Italian tactician may lose up to five first-team players for the tournament, with all of them playing for some of the tournament's favorites.
Senegal winger Ismaila Sarr, Moroccan duo of Adam Masina and Imran Louza, and Nigerian duo of William Troost-Ekong and Emmanuel Dennis are the players who may be called up. Sarr and Dennis are two of the club's leading attacking talents, having scored seven goals between them already this season. At the back, Troost-Ekong and Masina are important members of their defensive set up.
The Hornets will face West Ham twice, Tottenham, Newcastle and Norwich in five Premier League matches during the potential absence of these players. This run of fixtures may possibly determine their Premier League status come the end of the season.
#3 Arsenal
Another Premier League side that will be affected by the Africa Cup of Nations is Arsenal. The Gunners have turned their season around after an abysmal start that saw them occupy 20th place in the Premier League at some point.
The Gunners will lose captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, winger Nicolas Pepe and midfielders Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny, all of whom will be called up by their national teams. Arsenal face a daunting run of fixtures in the Premier League during the course of the AFCON.
They face Wolverhampton Wanderers twice, champions Manchester City, Tottenham and Burnley, in a run that will determine where they finish in the Premier League table. Mikel Arteta's men will lose a number of key players and must make use of the resources at their disposal in the absence of the aforementioned stars.
#2 Leicester City
Leicester City have not started their Premier League season how they would have hoped for following their genuine top-four challenge in the last two seasons. The Foxes have struggled since the start of the season with injury and loss of form. Manager Brendan Rodgers is resigned to losing last season's top scorer Kelechi Iheanacho, midfield anchor Wilfred Ndidi and utility man Daniel Amartey due to the AFCON.
These three men have been hugely important for the Foxes this season and will surely be missed. Amartey stepped up to play in defense after injuries to Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana, and has been with the team ever since. Iheanacho has proven to be of value with his goals and assists this season proving important. Ndidi is undoubtedly one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League and will be missed by the Foxes.
Leicester City must now find a solution with games against Liverpool (twice), Norwich, Burnley and Brighton scheduled to take place while these players are away. The Foxes will be thankful that Zambia did not qualify for the tournament, since Patson Daka will be available for selection.
#1 Liverpool
Liverpool will have a real problem on their hands when two-thirds of their attacking triumvirate have to leave for the AFCON in December. The Reds are currently chasing a second Premier League crown in three seasons.
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita are the players who will take part in the tournament for Egypt, Senegal and Guinea, respectively. This poses a problem for Liverpool because in attack, Salah and Mane are their most potent goal scorers, and injuries have left them threadbare in midfield at times this season.
The Reds will play against Leicester (twice), Chelsea, Brentford and Crystal Palace in the Premier League while Salah, Mane and Keita are halfway across the world playing in the AFCON. Jurgen Klopp must see to it that solutions are found to prevent their title chase from falling like a house of cards.
