The Premier League is the home of some of the greatest African footballers of all time. When you think of the greatest African players to have graced the Premier League, the likes of Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Jay-Jay Okocha, Michael Essien, Nwankwo Kanu and Emmanuel Adebayor come to mind.
However, there is one African player who achieved something that none of the above mentioned players could and he is Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian was awarded the PFA Player of the year award for his incredible performances in the 2015/16 season as he helped Leicester win the league title.
In the ongoing Premier League season, many African players have proved to be a vital member of their respective teams. However, last season's stars like Riyad Mahrez and Odion Ighalo have struggled this time around and have hence failed to make our list of best performing African players in the league.
#1 Sadio Mane - Senegal & Liverpool
Liverpool have signed several players from Southampton over the years, but none have settled into their new side as quickly and as well as Sadio Mane has. The Senegalese international is arguably the best summer signing in the Premier League and has played a big role in the sensational start to the season Liverpool are enjoying.
Mane has added some much-needed pace and directness to Liverpool's attack and the difference is evident. He scored his first goal in a Liverpool kit during the preseason in a match against Barcelona and followed it up by scoring a sensational goal against Arsenal on his Premier League debut for Liverpool. So far in this Premier League season, Mane has scored 7 goals and provided 3 assists. In addition, he also has 2 assists in the EFL Cup.
Liverpool's worst performance of the season in terms of attacking prowess was a defeat to Burnley and Mane was unable to play the game due to an injury. This sort of highlights the fact that the team is not the same without the Senegalese international.
#2 Eric Bailly - Ivory Coast & Manchester United
Although Manchester United had the best defence in the Premier League last season, it was evident that the team needed another centre-back to strengthen the defence further. In came Eric Bailly from Villarreal for a huge transfer fee and he has slotted into the heart of the Man Utd defence easily.
Bailly has been one of Manchester United's best and most consistent players this season despite the club's up and down form so far. The Ivorian has helped in passing the ball out from the back to build up the play and that is evident from his 89% pass accuracy.
Defensively, Bailly has some terrific statistics so far. In just 9 Premier League games, he has won 16 tackles, made 30 interceptions, 5 blocks, 55 clearances and zero defensive errors. These are some impressive figures for a player who is new to the Premier League and is part of a team that's struggling at the moment.
#3 Alex Iwobi - Nigeria & Arsenal
After losing their opening game of the season against Liverpool, Arsenal are currently unbeaten in the Premier League and in the UEFA Champions League. Most of the accolades for their free-flowing attacking game so far goes to Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott, but their partner in crime, Alex Iwobi, has been nothing short of sensational.
Arsene Wenger has shown immense faith in the youngster despite the availability of players like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lucas Perez to play out wide. This itself is a testament to the player's quality.
Iwobi has scored just once this season and it was against Basel in the final group stage game of the UEFA Champions League. However, he has three assists to his name in the Premier League.
Aged just 20, Iwobi has all the right attributes to be a future star. In addition, he gets mentoring from world class players like Sanchez and Ozil. Given how well Iwobi has progressed so far, it is only a matter of time before he starts banging in goal left right and centre.
#4 Kelechi Iheanacho - Nigeria & Manchester City
Manchester City was never the ideal location for young players to grow and settle into the first team but that changed when a certain Kelechi Iheanacho joined the Citizens. Iheanacho rose to stardom last season despite getting most of his chances from the bench and that's understandable considering the fact that City's main striker is Sergio Aguero. The 20-year old has been limited to a squad role this season also but he has had some very good outings in the very few opportunities he has got.
The youngster got his first start of the season in the Manchester Derby as Sergio Aguero was banned and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands by scoring one and assisting another. He has played just 311 minutes of Premier League football this season and still has 3 goals and 3 assists to his name. This means he averages a goal or an assist in the league every 51.8 minutes.
In addition to his goals in the Premier League, Iheanacho has also scored 2 goals in the UEFA Champions League in just 101 minutes of action!
#5 Victor Moses - Nigeria & Chelsea
After failed loan spells at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham, it looked like Victor Moses had no future at Chelsea. After all, he was competing for places with the likes of Eden Hazard, Pedro, Willian and Oscar. However, a change in Chelsea’s formation also meant a change in fortunes for the forgotten man Victor Moses.
Moses is now part of Antonio Conte's starting XI and has made the right wing back role his. His pace and relentless running makes him a perfect fit for the role. His experience playing as a winger helps him to aid the attackers and his work rate more than compensates for his lack of defensive abilities.
In just 8 starts for Chelsea so far, he has 3 goals and 1 assist to his name. Chelsea's only defeat after shifting to the 3-4-3 system was a league cup game against West Ham and coincidentally, Moses was not part of the team.
From a squad player, Moses has now become an indispensable member of the starting XI.
#6 Victor Wanyama - Kenya & Tottenham Hotspur
Victor Wanyama moved from Belgian club Beerschot to Scottish giants Celtic in 2011 and since then, he has slowly made a name for himself as a defensive midfielder with immense strength and amazing tackling abilities.
He moved to Southampton in 2013 and impressed several top teams during his three seasons with the Saints and in the end it earned him a move to Spurs this summer for just £11m.
Wanyama is a regular started for Spurs and based on the evidence of the season so far, he has displaced Dier as the first choice defensive midfielder. The 25-year-old Kenyan midfielder has made 26 tackles, 18 interceptions, 4 blocks and 25 clearances. Also, for someone who rarely scores goals, Wanyama scored a goal against Crystal Palace on his home debut.
#7 Joel Matip - Cameroon & Liverpool
Liverpool made some very good signings during the recently closed summer transfer window, but signing Joel Matip on a free transfer was a brilliant piece of business.
Matip's signing was essential was Liverpool needed to shore up their defence and his importance to the Liverpool side can be highlighted with some simple statistics. The former Schalke man has started 11 of Liverpool's 14 Premier League games and the Reds have won 8 and drawn 3 of those games while conceding just 9 goals in the process. On the other hand, in the 3 games Matip has missed, Liverpool have again conceded 9 goals (3 against Arsenal, 2 against Burnley and 4 against Bournemouth) and lost two of those games.
His calm and composed presence is essential for Liverpool if they are to mount a title challenge. In fact, when played alongside Matip, Lovren also plays on a different level. The Cameroon international is a very tall and has added some much-needed height to an otherwise short Liverpool side. He is also a very big threat from set piece situations and has already scored once for Liverpool.
