Clubs That Will Be Affected By AFCON: The AFCON and AFC Asian Cup will be taking place this January, which means that some clubs in Europe will have to say goodbye to some of their players for about a month or less. But of course, some clubs will be more affected than others.
These are the 10 clubs that will be affected by AFCON and the AFC Asian Cup.
1. Nottingham Forest
In the Premier League, it is Nottingham Forest who take the biggest hit. These guys will be without Serge Aurier, Moussa Niakhate, Ibrahim Sangare, Cheikhou Kouyate, Ola Aina, and Willy Boly. They would also have lost Taiwo Awoniyi but he’s currently injured and so wasn’t included in the Nigerian squad.
That’s 6 players Forest will be losing to the AFCON alone. It’d be interesting to see how they survived without these guys during that time period.
But what if we told you that there’s a team in Europe who’ll be losing more players than Forest? Can you guess what club that is? Take a shot in the comments, we’ll see if you’re right later in the article.
2. Liverpool
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Liverpool will also be losing their best player in Mohamed Salah. He has started the season on a brilliant note, already joint-top for goals and assists in the Premier League this season, but Liverpool will now have to be without him for a few games. And considering Egypt are top contender for the title, you’d expect that Salah would remain in Ivory Coast longer than most.
Liverpool will also be losing their new acquisition Wataru Endo to the AFC Asian Cup, and considering how well he has blended since moving to Anfield, that would be a huge loss for the Reds.
3. Spurs
Spurs is another team that knows all about losing their best player. Son Heung-min has been exceptional this season; he has really stepped up in the absence of Harry Kane. So far this season, only Haaland and Salah have outscored him in the Premier League; that’s how good he has been this season.
But he’s off to the AFC Asian Cup to represent South Korea and that’s certainly a huge blow for Spurs who are looking to still remain in the title race.
The Lilywhites will also be without Yves Bissouma and Pape Mata Sarr who are off to represent Mali and Senegal respectively at the AFCON.
4. Manchester United
Manchester United are also affected by the AFCON. They’ll be without their first-choice goalkeeper Andre Onana and their on-loan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat who’ll be representing Cameroon and Morocco respectively.
We’ll only have to wait and see how United gets through his period, particularly with an untested goalkeeper.
5. West Ham
Another Premier League club that was affected is West Ham. They’ll be without Mohammed Kudus who’s off to represent Ghana at the AFCON. The 23-year-old joined West Ham from Ajax last summer and has been sensational for the London club ever since. You can say he’s the club’s best player at the moment, so he’ll definitely be missed. They’ll also be without Nayef Aguerd who’s off representing Morocco also at the AFCON.
But West Ham could actually have had it worse, you know. But luckily for them, Algeria did not call up Said Benrahma and Ivory Coast did not call up Maxwel Cornet. At least, that’s something to be thankful for.
6. Fulham
Still in London, Fulham will be without their Nigerian pair of Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi, both of whom have been really influential for the club this season. They’ll also be without Fode Ballo-Toure who’s on loan from AC Milan and will be representing Senegal at the AFCON.
7. Marseille
But remember we told you that there’s one team who is suffering more than Nottingham Forest? Well, that club is Marseille. They’ll be without Ismailla Sarr, Iliman Ndiaye, and Pape Gueye, all of whom will be representing Senegal at the AFCON. They’ll also be without their number 1 goalkeeper Simon Ngapandouetnbu as well as Francois-Regis Mughe who are both off to represent Cameroon.
But guess what! That’s not even all. They’re also losing Azzeddine Ounahi and Amine Harit to Morocco and Chancel Mbemba to DR Congo.
That’s 8 players gone to the AFCON alone! And it could have been worse, but luckily for them, Aubameyang’s Gabon and Kondogbia’s Central African Republic failed to qualify. Nah, this is so crazy. We’re pretty sure Marseille fans are secretly praying that Senegal, Cameroon, and Morocco don’t go very far in the AFCON so they can have their players back early.
8. Nice
Another French club that’s currently taking a hit is Nice. They’ll be without Jeremie Boga who’s off to represent hosts Ivory Coast, and the pair of Youcef Atal and Hicham Boudaoui who are representing Algeria at the AFCON.
9. Bayer Leverkusen
Over in Germany, it is Bayer Leverkusen who will be suffering the most. These guys who are trying to do the unthinkable by beating Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga trophy will have to be without their top scorer Victor Boniface who’s off to represent Nigeria at the AFCON. They’ll also be without Amine Adli who’s representing Morocco, Odilon Kosonnou who’s representing Ivory Coast, and Edmond Tapsoba who’s representing Burkina Faso.
Losing four players while Bayern are losing just two in Kim Min-jae and Noussair Mazroui is not exactly music to the ears of Leverkusen supporters. Hopefully, they can hold on to their lead and unbeaten record until their players come back from international duty.
10. Real Betis
last but certainly not least is Real Betis who are losing 3 players to the AFCON. Youssouf Sabaly is off to represent Senegal, while the pair of Abde Ezzalzouli and Chadi Riad are off to represent Morocco.
Of course, there are still other clubs who’re losing players to the AFCON and the AFC Asian Cup this January. Leicester City lose Iheanacho and Ndidi, Napoli lose Osimhen and Zambo Anguissa…feel free to keep the list going in the comments.
Also, with these tournaments only days away now, we want to get your predictions.
Who do you think will win the AFCON and the AFC Asian Cup?
Tell us in the comments.
