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SALOMON KALOU
Salomon Kalou in action
He might be 28, but Kalou has proven doubters wrong time and again as he once again has hit form with LOSC Lille after transferring from Chelsea. While at Chelsea, Salomon was an integral part of the side that won a Premier League, 4 FA Cups, The League Cup as well as the prestigious UEFA Champions League. Kalou won the Johan Cryuff Young Player of the year award as well as the most promising African talent of the year award.
Kalou is a versatile footballer who can play as a Centre Forward or Winger, often popping up with assists for teammates. He was frozen out of the Chelsea team by Villas-Boas but started both the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals under Roberto Di Matteo and moved on when his contract expired in the summer. The fact that he was linked to European powerhouses like Arsenal, Liverpool, Galatasaray and Schalke 04 is testament to his abilities. Salomon has been an integral part of the national set-up since 2008.
CHEICK TIOTE
Cheick Tiote
The 27 year old Tiote is a no-nonsense defensive midfielder with a penchant for making crunching tackles. The Newcastle man is prone to errors sometimes, such as stupid tackles that often result in suspensions. The fact that after 50 games for Newcastle, Tiote had 25 yellow cards is testament to his hot temper. However, he provides stability to every midfield he plays in allowing his more creative and subtle partner (Yohan Cabaye for example) to attack freely because he’s there to cover for them.
He won the Newcastle United Player of the Year award in 2011. His club honours include the Belgian League and the Belgian supercup with Anderlecht as well as the Ersdivise and KNVB Supercup with FC Twente. He has been a regular feature of the national team since 2010.
LACINA TRAORE
Lacina Traore
Another one of the fantastic attacking talents of Ivory Coast, the 6’8″ giant is currently on loan at Everton from AS Monaco. Formerly an Anzhi Makhachkala and Kuban Krasnodar player in Russia, Traore is known for you guessed it, his height and aerial ability. Lacina, just 23 has already won the Romanian League, Cup and Supercup. He scored on his debut for Everton before missing the game against Chelsea due to a hamstring problem that has ruled him out for a month.
Traore has played and scored in the UEFA Champions League for CFR Cluj whilst in Romania at the young age of 19, scoring a goal each against Roma and FC Basel. Lacina is also famous for his goal against Liverpool in the 2012-13UEFA Europa League which gave Anzhi a 1-0 victory. He is a bright talent and that was underlined when AS Monaco paid a reported 40Million dollars to Anzhi Makhachkala for his services.
