AFCON 2025 Shake-Up: Premier League Clubs Brace for Player Returns
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations semifinals are set to significantly impact Premier League squad availability for the upcoming matchday, January 17-19. While many clubs welcome back key players whose nations were eliminated, others face continued absences as stars like Mohamed Salah and several Senegalese and Nigerian players remain on AFCON duty. This creates complex selection challenges across the league as domestic competition resumes.
As the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) reaches the semifinals, Premier League clubs are closely monitoring player availability for the upcoming matchday scheduled between January 17-19. The AFCON semifinals will take place on Wednesday, January 14, with Senegal facing Egypt and Nigeria taking on hosts Morocco. The tournament final is set for Sunday, January 18.
Several Premier League teams have no players involved in AFCON, meaning their squads will be fully available for domestic fixtures. These clubs include Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Leeds United, and Newcastle United. Their opponents, however, may face significant changes due to absences or returning players.
Clubs with AFCON participants are seeing mixed impacts depending on how far their players’ national teams progressed. Brighton & Hove Albion can welcome back midfielder Carlos Baleba, whose Cameroon side exited in the quarterfinals, while Brentford will have Burkina Faso’s Dango Outtara return, though Nigeria’s Frank Onyeka remains in the semifinals. Burnley has already regained DR Congo’s Axel Tuanzebe and Tunisia’s Hannibal Mejbri, with South Africa’s Lyle Foster potentially returning soon. Nottingham Forest benefits from Ivory Coast duo Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangaré returning after their quarterfinal elimination.
Manchester United will see the return of Cameroon's Bryan Mbeumo and Ivory Coast’s Amad Diallo. Manchester City regains Algeria’s Rayan Aït-Nouri, Tottenham Hotspur gets Yves Bissouma back, Wolverhampton Wanderers can field Emmanuel Agbadou and Tawanda Chirewa, and West Ham welcomes DR Congo defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Meanwhile, several key players remain at AFCON for the semifinals. Crystal Palace’s Ismaïla Sarr, Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye, Fulham’s Nigerian trio Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Samuel Chukwueze, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush, Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui, Tottenham’s Pape Matar Sarr, and West Ham’s El Hadji Malick Diouf are all unavailable for their clubs.
Sunderland, which had the most Premier League representatives at AFCON, sees the return of Burkina Faso’s Bertrand Traoré, DR Congo’s Arthur Masuaku and Noah Sadiki, and Mozambique’s Reinildo. However, Morocco’s Chemsdine Talbi and Senegal’s Habib Diarra remain in the semifinals.
This situation underscores the significant impact of international tournaments on club football, as teams navigate player availability while preparing for crucial domestic fixtures.