Cup of Nations Will Hit the Premier League Hard, but Clubs Must Accept It

When Philippe Coutinho went down with his ankle injury on Saturday, the concern around Anfield was intensified by the knowledge that Adam Lallana is still recovering from a groin strain, that Daniel Sturridge has another calf problem and that, come January, Liverpool’s attacking options will be reduced even more when Sadio Mane joins up with Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations.

There will be withdrawals because of injuries, real and convenient, and certain players may not be selected, but there could be as many as 37 Premier League players heading off to Gabon. Perhaps the more striking statistic, though, is that five clubs—Liverpool among them—could be losing their record signings.

Even before Coutinho’s injury, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was talking about having to make a signing to cover for the loss of Mane. The former Southampton forward, with his pace and his capacity to play on the diagonal, cutting in from wide, is an unusual player, one perfect for exploiting the space left by Roberto Firmino in his false-nine role.

Mane’s speed also means defences are wary of pushing out too far and risking leaving gaps in behind them, which means there is more space for Liverpool’s creative players—Coutinho, Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum—to operate in between the opposing defensive and midfield lines. He is not easily replicated or replaced.

In that sense, of the realistic title contenders, Liverpool will probably be worst affected by the Cup of Nations. The concern is not just the three weeks to a month a player is away; the emotional intensity of a major tournament, whether a team does well or poorly, often seems to sap at players thereafter.

There are good climatic reasons why January-February is the right time to host the Cup of Nations, and while it’s understandable that European clubs are frustrated that it takes place every two years rather than every four, the biennial nature of the competition was—just about—instituted from its origin in the late 1950s and '60s, when African football struggled for global recognition.

While the Confederation of African Football has many faults, it’s hardly surprising that it prefers to assert its independence in this regard and to protect the revenues the Cup of Nations generates.

Club	Country
Arsenal
Mohamed Elneny	Egypt
Bournemouth
Max Gradel	Cote d’Ivoire
Burnley
Tendayi Darikwa	Zimbabwe
Crystal Palace
Kwesi Appiah	Ghana
Bakary Sako	Mali
Pape Souare*	Senegal
Wilfried Zaha	Cote d’Ivoire
Everton
Yannick Bolasie	DR Congo
Idrissa Gueye	Senegal
Arouna Kone	Cote d’Ivoire
Oumar Niasse	Senegal
Hull
Ahmed Elmohamady	Egypt
Dieumerci Mbokani	DR Congo
Leicester
Daniel Amartey	Ghana
Yohan Benalouane	Tunisia
Riyad Mahrez	Algeria
Jeffrey Schlupp	Ghana
Islam Slimani	Algeria
Liverpool
Sadio Mane	Senegal
Manchester United
Eric Bailly*	Cote d’Ivoire
Middlesbrough
Adama Traore	Mali
Southampton
Sofiane Boufal	Morocco
Stoke
Wilfried Bony	Cote d’Ivoire
Mame Biram Diouf	Senegal
Ramadan Sobhi	Egypt
Sunderland
Papy Djilobodji	Senegal
Wahbi Khazri	Tunisia
Lamine Kone	Cote d’Ivoire
Didier Ndong	Gabon
Watford
Nordin Amrabat	Morocco
Brice Dja Djedje	Cote d’Ivoire
Adlene Guedioura	Algeria
West Brom
Allan Nyom	Cameroon
West Ham
Andre Ayew	Ghana
Sofiane Fehgouli	Algeria
Cheikhou Kouyate	Senegal
Diafra Sakho	Senegal

On the plus side for Klopp, at least centre-back Joel Matip has decided to take a break from the Cameroon national side. Manchester United could lose Eric Bailly, who was a key part of the defence that helped Ivory Coast to the title in 2015, even though he has been out since October with a knee injury.

Arsenal will have to do without the Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny, but he’s started only five league games this season. With Yaya Toure retired from international football and Nigeria not qualified, Manchester City lose nobody and Chelsea get to keep Victor Moses and Mikel John Obi—although there are suggestions that the Nigeria captain could be on his way to United when the transfer window opens in January.

GLYN KIRK/Getty Images

In terms of numbers, Leicester City look set to take the hardest hit. Most significant of them are the two Algerians, Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani. Mahrez hasn’t quite hit the heights of last season, but he remains their most creative player, while Slimani’s physical strength has added an extra dimension to their attacking play. He’s also scored four league goals.

The loss of Daniel Amartey and Jeffrey Schlupp, meanwhile, essentially denies the Foxes squad depth—although Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the third time in four tournaments at least means that Ahmed Musa will remain available.

It’s West Ham United, though, who will perhaps be the worst off in terms of the importance of the players they’ll lose. Ghanaian attacker Andre Ayew is just returning from an injury suffered in the opening game of the season, but he showed at Swansea City last season how effective he can be either as a centre-forward or a winger.

Senegalese midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has been a linchpin of West Ham’s midfield, and now that Diafra Sakho—also from Senegal—is fit, he will presumably be a first-choice striker; his goal at Old Trafford on Sunday demonstrated his worth. Then there’s Algerian winger Sofiane Feghouli, brought in from Valencia on a free transfer in the summer. He’s a player of undoubted class, but his introduction to the Premier League has been affected by a hamstring injury.

Everton will also lose four players. Ivorian Arouna Kone and Senegal's Oumar Niasse may not be much missed, but Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye has been vital to giving them midfield stability, while Congolese winger Yannick Bolasie’s pace and invention on the flank are a key part of their attacking strategy. Ronald Koeman’s side has been struggling of late; if they are to challenge for Europa League qualification, they need an upturn in December before they have to take on January without two such important players.

The Cup of Nations could have a major role in the relegation battle. Tunisian midfielder Wahbi Khazri has been out of sorts this season, and Senegalese defender Papy Djilobodji is highly inconsistent, but even if he has not been the imposing presence he was last season, Sunderland can ill afford to be without Lamine Kone if Ivory Coast call him up or the Gabonese Didier Ndong, the only consistent presence at the heart of their midfield.

Struggling Hull City could lose Ahmed Elmohamady to Egypt and Dieumerci Mbokani to Congo, which could damage their EFL Cup hopes as well. Crystal Palace could be without three fit players now Wilfried Zaha has decided to commit to Ivory Coast.

There will be, as there always is, a great gnashing of teeth about the absentees, but the fact is that clubs know this is a possibility when they sign African players (although that argument does not apply to Zaha).

Rather than complaining about the negative impact on the Premier League, perhaps football should celebrate the fact that, even without Nigeria, African football has developed to the point that it has 37 international-calibre players playing in the richest league in the world.