Top 10 Transfers of African Players in the 2014 Summer Window
The transfer window has now closed, and the international break has given new recruits a chance to bed-in at their new clubs and reflect on their futures within a fresh environment.
Over the summer, both before and after the World Cup, a number of key African players switched clubs and leagues.
In this article, we profile the top 10 transfers of African players over the 2014 summer window.
We have ranked these players based on the profile of the player and clubs involved, the price tag and the value the deal represents.
These three considerations together have been used to evaluate which moves will be the most successful.
10. Abdul Rahman Baba
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The transfer of left-back Abdul Rahman Baba from SpVgg Greuther Furth to Augsburg for £2.2 million, as per Transfermarkt, wasn’t one of the highest-profile African moves during the summer, but it might represent the best value for money.
MTN Football have acknowledged interest from the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Napoli in the player, but he instead chose to build his career in Germany, joining Furth in 2012.
He has since developed steadily, improving his defensive qualities while honing the impressive attacking talents he demonstrated as a Ghana youth international.
There’s still work for this rough diamond (who’s still only 20) to do, particularly in his defensive positioning, but there’s no reason why the former Asante Kotoko man can’t plan to emulate someone like David Alaba.
Baba Rahman’s progression ought to be very important for Ghana. While Jeffrey Schlupp is a competent option in this position, the Black Stars have tended to use Kwadwo Asamoah in this role. The emergence of the Augsburg man, however, should ensure that Kojo gets to return to his favoured centre-midfield berth.
9. Salomon Kalou
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Despite the likes of Everton, Arsenal and Liverpool being linked with his signature, Ivorian forward Salomon Kalou eventually swapped Ligue 1 for the Bundesliga. Following LOSC Lille’s failure to qualify for the Champions League group stage, the West African left Northern France to sign a deal with capital club Hertha Berlin.
The former Chelsea man doesn’t always get the credit he deserves, and represents a major coup for a club who finished in eleventh place in the Bundesliga last term.
While at Stamford Bridge he won the Champions League, the Premier League and multiple FA Cup crowns, and could quite feasibly have contributed something to a mid-to-upper-table EPL side.
He is a versatile operator who can play on either flank, centrally, or up front and is still only 29. He has a lot to offer, and will look to improve on the 30 goals he scored in Ligue 1 over the last two seasons.
8. Alex Song
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It has been clear for a while that things just weren’t working for Alex Song at Barcelona. Such stasis and inactivity is a sad reality for a player who truly impressed in the Premier League in his final season with Arsenal.
If Sam Allardyce can rediscover that player, then West Ham United can look forward to a prosperous campaign with the Cameroon international as the centrepiece of the midfield.
That’s no guarantee, of course, Song hasn’t been a first-team regular for a while, but Big Sam has an excellent reputation for reinvigorated players who have lost their way and will surely relish the prospect of working with the Barca reject.
Song, for his part, still enjoys a positive reputation in the Premier League. According to El Mundo Deportivo (h/t Metro), Arsenal had been eyeing a £10 million deal for the African star before the transfer window closed.
Liverpool had also been linked with his signature.
7. Sadio Mane
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Southampton have endured a well-documented summer of turmoil. The Saints have lost a number of major names as their first team has been decimated by some of the Premier League’s bigger sides.
However, there is reason for optimism.
Manager Ronald Koeman has made an encouraging on-field start, while the south-coast club have made some fine moves in the transfer market.
Things didn’t work out for Algerian midfielder Saphir Taider at St. Mary’s, but Dusan Tadic, Toby Alderweireld and Fraser Forster are astute additions.
The pick of the bunch, however, may be £10 million addition Sadio Mane, who signed in the dying stages of transfer deadline day.
The Senegal forward bagged 45 goals in 87 games for Red Bull Salzburg, and while he is highly unlikely to match those records in England, Saints fans can be expecting a considerable contribution from their new man.
6. Cheikhou Kouyate
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Cheikhou Kouyate has been one of the revelations of the Premier League season so far. The Senegalese international has required barely any adaptation time and has taken to the EPL like a duck to water.
The towering West African brings authority and presence to the middle of the park for Hammers, and it will be intriguing to see how his relationship and interaction develops with Alex Song and Mark Noble.
Expect Kouyate to operate as the most defensive of the trio, if indeed he features as a midfielder rather than a defender. He has already demonstrated his tackling ability in the top flight, averaging five-per-match in the EPL so far this campaign.
According to WhoScored.com, this puts him in the top five in the EPL.
Senegal have started qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations strongly and the former Anderlecht man will be looking to establish himself as one of the finest in his position at the continental showpiece in January.
5. Samuel Eto'o
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This is a big season for Everton. The Merseysiders have returned to the Europa League and, with the prize of a spot in the Champions League available to the winner, will take the tournament very seriously indeed.
They are also in the second year of Roberto Martinez’s spell at the helm, and the Spanish boss will look for the Toffees to put even more pressure on those ahead of them in the Premier League.
Samuel Eto’o—signed on a free transfer following his release by Chelsea—ought to have a key role to play during the coming campaign.
The striker brings a scoring touch—as he demonstrated against his former club on his debut—and experience that is unrivalled within the current Everton squad. He may be past his prime, but Eto’o remains an elite penalty-box operator and managed nine goals in 16 EPL starts last term, according to WhoScored.com.
4. Yacine Brahimi
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Following the World Cup, I tipped Yacine Brahimi to make a big-money move on the back of his excellent showings for Algeria.
Sure enough, the playmaker left Granada for FC Porto, moving on a £5.72 million deal before the transfer window closed, per Transfermarkt.
The Portuguese giants should be the major beneficiaries of Brahimi’s eclectic talents. He has endured a few unsettled years, but now 24 and on a long-term contract, he should settle down and concentrate on realising his potential.
Anyone who watched Porto’s Champions League play-off victory over LOSC Lille will surely be convinced that the North African midfielder is capable of achieving great things in his new surroundings.
Few doubt his technical and creative abilities, but Brahimi will have to prove to Julen Lopetegui that he can find a measure of consistency to make the most of his talents.
3. Vincent Aboubakar
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During his early time in French football, Vincent Aboubakar struggled to align all of his talents and struggled to realise his potential at Valenciennes.
It was clear that he required a change of scene and, after a feeble nine goals in 71 league appearances, he moved to Lorient in the summer of 2013.
The switch took the striker’s career in a new direction. He bagged 15 goals in 32 Ligue 1 matches, putting him second only to Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the Ligue 1 top-scorer classement. He also contributed six assists, per WhoScored.com, showing that he is becoming a much more rounded operator.
His fine form in France guaranteed that he was hot property this summer, despite a disappointing World Cup. He was linked with a move to Hull City, but ended up moving to Porto.
One senses there is a lot more to come from the Cameroon forward, who is only 22, yet has already replaced Samuel Eto’o as the figurehead of the Indomitable Lions.
The Portuguese side are receiving a fantastic striker for a key period of his career—if he follows the progression of the likes of Radamel Falcao, Hulk and James Rodriguez, all talented players whose careers took on new dimensions at the Estadio do Dragao—Aboubakar could cement his place as Africa’s top forward.
2. Serge Aurier
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After being linked with a move to Arsenal, Serge Aurier eventually remained in France and signed on loan with Paris Saint-Germain.
Upon his arrival at the Parc des Princes, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi had this to say about the Ivorian right-back, via the club’s official website:
"Serge Aurier, one of the most promising young players in world football, courted by the biggest clubs, has chosen Paris Saint-Germain to continue to shine on the European stage. We are delighted to welcome this young player into our team.
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This graphic from WhoScored demonstrates just how superior Aurier is to Christophe Jallet, the club’s right-back last term. The West African leads the way in assists, tackles and crosses—he is a significant upgrade.
The former Toulouse man is only 21, but he is already one of Africa’s preeminent defenders. He is already a versatile operator and could feasibly be a mainstay of the capital club’s backline for a decade.
1. Mehdi Benatia
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Serge Aurier is a fine player, but he still has his raw edges. Mehdi Benatia, on the other hand, is a complete player and one of the world’s best in his position.
Pep Guardiola knows this and opted to spend over £20 million to bring the Moroccan stopper to Bavaria.
Benatia’s revelations, via Rajvir Rai of the Daily Mail, that he turned down Chelsea and Manchester City, and that Real Madrid and Barcelona were interested in the player, are testament to the standing that he currently enjoys in the world game.
He will contribute consistency, resiliency and poise to the Bayern backline, but must avoid the mid-season slump that can affect some players who depart for the African Cup of Nations. Benatia, whose nation Morocco hosts the tournament, will certainly be heading home in January and will look for the AFCON to kick off a big trophy haul.
