Football writer Sam Cunningham assesses which Premier League clubs will be most affected by call-ups of their players for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Sunderland - Six players (Noah Sadiki, Arthur Masuaku, Reinildo Mandava, Bertrand Traore, Chemsdine Talbi and Habib Diarra)
Sunderland have been this season's surprise package, spending big in the summer after promotion from the Championship and quickly amassing points to move them comfortably clear of the relegation places, at least for now.
But seven of their summer signings are African and departures to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will likely hit them hard, after six were called up for the tournament which begins in Morocco this coming Sunday, 21 December.
The six players include midfielder Noah Sadiki, who has played almost every game for Sunderland, living up to his "Mini Kante" nickname by covering so much of the pitch. Sadiki has been named in the DR Congo squad, alongside team-mate Arthur Masuaku, a squad player who has made only three Premier League appearances so far. The absence of Reinildo Mandava, called up by Mozambique, will also be felt. The defender has played almost three-quarters of Sunderland's Premier League games.
Summer signing Bertrand Traore recently scored his first goal for the club but it will be a while until he can net his next one, as he will play for Burkina Faso at AFCON. Forward Chemsdine Talbi, called up by hosts Morocco, has featured regularly for Sunderland. Habib Diarra was their most expensive summer signing but the Senegal midfielder has not featured since mid-September due to groin surgery.
Burnley - Three players (Axel Tuanzebe, Lyle Foster and Hannibal Mejbri)
Fighting their way out of the bottom three without Axel Tuanzebe, the centre-back called up by DR Congo, will be tough for Burnley. Tuanzebe was a regular in Scott Parker's starting XI before missing two games through injury. South African forward Lyle Foster and Tunisian midfielder Hannibal Mejbri will deny Parker strength and depth in a crucial period after their respective call-ups.
Fulham - Three players (Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze and Calvin Bassey)
Fulham are another side whose attack will be severely blunted by AFCON departures. Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze have contributed more than a third of Fulham’s Premier League goals this season and have six assists between them. At the back, defender Calvin Bassey has featured in every single one of their league games and will be a major loss. All three have been called up to the Nigeria squad.
Manchester United - Three players (Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui)
Man Utd will lose three players – and two of them will leave a huge dent in their attack at a time when Ruben Amorim's team are pressing for a top-four place. Bryan Mbeumo, called up by Cameroon, is Man Utd's top scorer this season with eight goals. He also has one assist to his name, and has barely missed a game. Amad, who is in Ivory Coast's squad, has contributed one goal and two assists and is one of the club's most creative players. Meanwhile, Noussair Mazraoui, who was starting to make the spot on the right side of the back three his own, will be attempting to lift the AFCON trophy at a home tournament with hosts Morocco.
Brentford - Two players (Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka)
Brentford will be without club-record signing Dango Ouattara, who will represent Burkina Faso, although the blow is softened by their greater reliance on Brazilian forward Igor Thiago for goals. Frank Onyeka has been called up by Nigeria, but the midfielder has not played much this season.
Everton - Two players (Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye)
Iliman Ndiaye, Everton’s joint-top scorer, and Idrissa Gueye, the midfield anchor, have been key players for the Toffees this season, even if the latter missed three games recently after being shown a red card for an altercation with his own team-mate, Michael Keane. Both Ndiaye and Gueye were called up to the Senegal squad, and their absence will be challenging for Everton manager David Moyes, whose side are in contention for a European place as we head towards the halfway point in the season.
Watch: Ndiaye in action for Everton this season
Manchester City - Two players (Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri)
Omar Marmoush could have been a bigger loss for Man City, but he missed the first six weeks of the season with a knee injury and, with their strength in attacking options, has found himself more of a backup player since returning. Pep Guardiola has found a preferred attacking line-up without him. Rayan Ait-Nouri has also made the Algeria squad but has not played regularly this season.
Nottingham Forest - Two players (Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare)
Sean Dyche will be without two members of his Forest squad. Willy Boly has been selected by Ivory Coast despite playing only once, in the EFL Cup, for Forest this season. Ibrahim Sangare, who joins Boly, has been a regular starter for Dyche since he took over. Neither Ola Aina or Taiwo Awoniyi made the Nigeria squad.
Tottenham Hotspur - Two players (Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr)
Yves Bissouma has been called up by Mali, but the midfielder has not played for Spurs under Thomas Frank this season. Meanwhile, Pape Matar Sarr, joining up with Senegal, started the season well but his form has dipped in recent weeks.
West Ham United - Two players (Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf)
Losing his first-choice right-back and left-back isn’t ideal for West Ham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo as he attempts to drag the club out of the bottom three. They will miss Aaron Wan-Bissaka's attacking threat when he joins up with DR Congo, while impressive young left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf has been called up by Senegal.
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Two players (Tawanda Chirewa and Emmanuel Agbadou)
At one stage, Wolves faced losing up to five players to AFCON but in the end, only two of their players were called up and one of those going is Zimbabwe winger Tawanda Chirewa, who has only played once for the Premier League's bottom club this season. Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Agbadou will, however, leave a significant hole at the back. Meanwhile, it came as a surprise that Jackson Tchatchoua was left out of the Cameroon squad, while striker Tolu Arokodare did not make the cut for Nigeria. Wolves defender Marshall Munetsi said it was "heartbreaking" to miss out on the Zimbabwe squad, apparently due to injury. He insisted that he was fit to play and that the club had contacted Zimbabwe’s FA to let them know.
Liverpool - One player (Mohamed Salah)
Mohamed Salah has headed off to represent Egypt with his Liverpool head coach Arne Slot insisting "there's no issue to resolve" now the forward has returned to action, albeit as a substitute again in Saturday's win over Brighton & Hove Albion. "Mo is going to go to the AFCON now, I hope he is going to do very well and in the meantime we have to play here without him," added Slot in his post-match press conference. Salah had previously said he was unsure where his future lay beyond AFCON, having been on the bench for four consecutive Liverpool games.
Other clubs with AFCON players
Oliver Glasner will be relieved that three of the four Crystal Palace players who could have been called away – Cheick Doucoure (Mali), Chadi Riad (Morocco) and Christantus Uche (Nigeria) – were not selected by their national teams. But Ismaila Sarr leaves to play for Senegal and Glasner will not have wanted to lose his physical presence and goal involvements.
Brighton, meanwhile, will miss Carlos Baleba's midfield presence after he was called up to the Cameroon squad.
Evann Guessand has been a key part of Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery's rotation system this season, but they should have the depth to cover for the forward after he was selected late for Ivory Coast’s squad.
Clubs without any AFCON call-ups
Five Premier League clubs do not have any AFCON players in their ranks. Arsenal’s chances of winning a first Premier League title in over two decades are significantly enhanced by not losing any players to the tournament.
AFC Bournemouth will benefit from Ghana failing to qualify for the first time in 21 years, meaning top scorer Antoine Semenyo will not be away at the tournament. Cherries forward Amine Adli did not make the Morocco squad.
Chelsea, Leeds United and Newcastle United are also unaffected by AFCON call-ups.